New Wetlands in Newtown Creek

Last week, we joined Council Member James Van Bramer, leading New York City environmental groups including the Newtown Creek Alliance, Riverkeeper, and Stormwater Infrastructure Matters (SWIM), and educators and students from LaGuardia Community College to celebrate the installation of tidal wetlands in Newtown Creek at Dutch Kills. The wetlands will help to improve water quality, provide habitat for wildlife and a more natural aesthetic area for the community. This is the first time Newtown Creek has had substantial wetlands in more than 100 years!

Through this project, the Dutch Kills western terminus site has received placement of 1,400 cubic yards of sand to establish proper elevations to support the growth of 1,455 square feet of Spartina alterniflora plugs. At the Hunters Point Avenue Bridge, 3,300 cubic yards of sand have been added on the bridge’swestern and eastern sides to establish the proper elevations to support the growth of 6,900 square feet of Spartina alterniflora plugs.

Wetlands, which are transitional lands between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, provide awide variety of beneficial functions. They attenuate flooding, help maintain stream flow, improve water quality, absorb nutrients and carbon, and provide plant and wildlife habitat. Nearly half the nation’s threatened and endangered species rely on wetlands to survive.

Wetlands play a critical role in our ecosystem and they help to improve the health of waterbodies, which is why we are building them wherever we can in the five boroughs.