BRONX RIVER

West side of the River- approx, 1.5 miles to Flushing Bay

During the 1840s a railroad constuction began, this became the catalyst for the industrialization of the Bronx River. In 1905, the Bronx River Valley sewers began absorbing some of the worst sewage. By the 1940's it was considered an open sewer. An initiative to clean-up the Bronx River, beagn about 10 yrs ago with the support of a local congressman.

East Side of the Bronx River- apprx. 1 mile to Flushing Bay

Around the 1700s dozen of mills produced paper, flour, pottery, tapestries, barrels and snuff. These mills were powered by water running down the river. The water at the time was considered so pure and whole that during the 1820s and 30s NYC municipalities debated ways to tap the celan water of Bronx River to the growing city with drinking water. The Bronx River is 23 miles long.

People and activity on the Bronx River

The first inhabitants of the Bronx River were the Mohecan people. The Mohecans named the river "Aquehung "= "River of High Bluff". The first European settler was a Swedish seacaptain, named Jonas Bronck, 1639. River of High Bluff was later renamed after him. Todays Bronx has a population of over 1.5 million residents, from latin America, Eastern Europe, Carribean, South Asia, Middle East and the Afrricas. Despite the impact of pollution, The Bronx River is widely used for both industrial, recreational activities such as Kayaking, and Fishing and environmental education.

Health Check of the Bronx River- Aug 14th, samples were taken during a week of heavy rainfall to monitor stormwater and cso discharge effects on water quality. Result of data collected. TBA