River Restoration
Groundwork views the rivers that flow through our communities as both natural habitats in need of restoration and as public assets that connect communities. We focus on the Saw Mill River watershed, a major tributary (and pollution source) of the Hudson River.
In the urban sections of Yonkers, the Saw Mill River has been covered up by cement and channeled into an underground flume. Groundwork has actively promoted the “daylighting” of the Saw Mill River as the cornerstone of downtown Yonkers’ development. See Daylighting for details on the project and redevelopment of the Yonkers downtown.
Groundwork, through its Saw Mill River Coalition, built an alliance of municipalities to develop an action plan to restore the river. At the same time, Groundwork organized hundreds of volunteers to clean the river’s banks, remove invasive vines, plant native trees and shrubs, and monitor water quality. Visit our Saw Mill River Coalition website for more information.
Groundwork’s involvement with the Hudson and Bronx Rivers includes service on the Hudson River and Waterfront Revitalization Task Force in Yonkers, and membership on the Bronx River Planning Committee. Our involvement with these initiatives helped lead to funding for studies for Yonkers to rebuild a dock system along the Hudson as well as a new fishing pier.
