Paddling the South Bronx
Education, Energy, Environment, Equity, Public Health, Revitalization, Sustainability, Urbanism
I took some of our fabulous CISC interns on a kayaking voyage up the Bronx River a few weeks ago. And this is what they had to say about it.
“New Yorkers tend to think inwards and underground about their city: Central Park and the subway. But lately, this has been changing. Boating organizations and environmental groups have sprung up in the past half-century to increase awareness of the waterways critical condition and importance to the City. As summer outreach and planning interns, we decided to take a kayak trip with one of these organizations, the Bronx River Alliance, to experience hands on the effects of the City on our waterways.
The Bronx River, New York City’s only freshwater river, runs 23 miles long from the Kensico Dam in upper Westchester County through 13 Westchester municipalities to where the East River converges with Long Island Sound. This once beautiful and thriving body of water is now a contaminated conduit for industrial and residential wastes. 
The Bronx River Alliance formed in 1974, has taken remarkable strides in trying to restore this river back to its original serenity. This organization develops community outreach initiatives, conducts research on the River’s ecology and serves as an advocate for the River and its surrounding community. BRA’s work illustrates how dedicated citizens who are adamant about preserving our environment can and do make a difference.
However, their hard work is not immediately evident upon emerging from the Hunt’s Point subway station. We had never been to Hunts Point, but we were aware of the controversial developments of Robert Moses and their devastating toll it had on the Bronx. As we walked toward the Bruckner Expressway overpass, it wasn’t hard to see that the area is plagued with social ills. In a city as wealthy as New York, the hard truth is that poor communities bare the brunt of environmental ravages. The built environment of Hunts Point is a veritable death trap. The expressway is at least 5 lanes across, with no pedestrian walkway to be spoken of; truck after truck barrel down the road, amidst incessant car honking and exhaust fumes. Walking up the crumbling steps to cross the gritty overpass, was not welcoming. In lieu of shrubs and flowers, the overpass offered only concrete and graffiti.
Crossing the bare concrete overpass, we entered Concrete Plant Park. With parched grass, a lack of trees and no real social gathering point, the “park” falls desperately short of being an inviting public space. It would be hard to imagine a similar scene anywhere in Manhattan. In Hunt’s Point and other parts of the Bronx, the environmental inequity that exists between those communities that receive waste and those that produce it – those that dump and those that get dumped on – is hard to miss.
As we set off in our kayaks, we saw a garbage dump, a scrap metal recycling center, and parking lots lining a good portion of both riverbanks. As we passed, we noticed a certain stench. It would be simple to conclude that the smell originated from these concrete yards of the industrial age. However, even in areas where trees line the river, the smell lingered. Why? The smell didn’t come from the dump; it came from the water itself.
In theory, the water shouldn’t be polluted. The City’s fourteen water purification centers can process all the water used and release a purified form back into its estuaries. So why is there sewage in the water? Because of NYC’s antiquated sewage planning. The city uses a combined sewage overflow system (CSO) to handle both human waste and regular runoff water. This type of system accounts for 70% of the NYC sewage system according to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP). On a normal, rainless day, the system is able to collect and process all of the fluids running through the system. However, when it rains, there is too much water for the system to handle, and thus the overflow water is redirected straight to the estuaries, untreated. That means raw sewage –shoots straight into the river. To contextualize, Hunt’s Point’s largest CSO, CSO 007, collects an estimated 1.7 million floatables (garbage and solid matter) each year.
Despite the smell, and the murky water filled with human biproducts, we paddled along. Our guide Miguel began pointing things out to us, that the river is an ecological home, not a deserted wasteland and that there is a vibrant ecological community regenerating along the Bronx River in Hunt’s Point. The contaminated and brackish waters are home to unusual species of edible plants and a host of wildlife. Along the banks of the river rare conifers, fruit trees and medicinal plants such as Mugwort thrive. Japanese Knotwood grows rampant-a vestige of a naturalist’s planting from the 1850s and indicative of the rich biological history of the area.
We saw Egret and Heron that nest along the river. Striped Bass and Blue Fish are indigenous, and although not advisable to eat, neighborhood fishermen cannot be dissuaded. We witnessed a gentleman bathing en plein air just a stone’s throw from the ominous CS007, and a rope swing was rigged up in a tree where kids jump into the river to swim. Community youth were also exploring the River along with us. Miguel introduced them as youth from, Rock the Boat - an organization that trains youth in traditional boat building and water ecology.
Wrapping up the three and a half hour trip, we emerge tired and with mixed feelings. On one hand, it’s pretty depressing to see the state of the river due to the lack of foresight when creating the sewage system, and how we haven’t moved to significantly clean up the area. Also, people shouldn’t have to live around these conditions. But on the other hand, organizations like the Bronx River Alliance and Rock the Boat increase exposure to these issues so that they don’t go unnoticed. And at the same time, young people out on the water are gaining valuable skills while they hopefully, become more engaged in solutions and the restoration of these important places.
