From Bowling Alley to Wetland

The site of the Armonk Bowling Alley before (left) and after (right).

Our experts harnessed sound science and careful engineering to transform a vast swath of pavement into a preserved area of streams, wetlands, and trees that will protect a critical source of drinking water for more than 9 million New Yorkers. This $5.5 million project rebuilt a 3.13-acre site that was previously the location of the Armonk Bowling Alley.

The site is located approximately 2 miles north of Kensico Reservoir, one of the last stops for the city’s unfiltered drinking water supply. When the bowling alley was built in the 1960s, the neighboring Bear Gutter Creek was pushed aside and confined to a ditch, making room for the business’s large parking lot. Aerial photos suggested the parking lot and building were likely constructed on a former wetland.

Demolition of the parking lot and restoration work began at the site in 2019 and finished earlier in 2020. Experts rerouted Bear Gutter Creek and gave it a more natural design with meanders and grade controls, taking it out of the ditch that confined it for more than 50 years.

Wetland habitat was constructed in the creek’s floodplain. The wetland complex includes small pools that, in their first spring season, have already become a home for American toads, spring peepers and other native species. Hundreds of native trees and bushes were also planted in the area, including willow and red maple trees, and chokeberry bushes. Our scientists will monitor the site for the next five years to ensure the native plantings grow well and remain healthy.

The newly restored area adjoins another 4-acre wetland complex that we previously constructed in the 2010s. Engineers on the latest project studied elevation maps and carefully designed the new wetlands to ensure they matched the hydrology of the previously restored site. These restored streams and wetlands, along with the Town of New Castle’s 169-acre Whippoorwill Park, establish a natural buffer upstream of Kensico Reservoir that will continue to protect the region’s drinking water for decades to come.