Beyond the Preserve: Protecting the Watershed
Rain water upriver that once took 4 weeks to reach Long Island Sound can now get there in as little as four days. With this increased runoff from road and land development, excess nutrients and harmful pollutants can damage the functionality of wetlands, habitat for aquatic life as well as lower the quality of our drinking water. The Mianus River Gorge Preserve works with towns and developers to alleviate these problems.
The Mianus River watershed encompasses 28.2 square miles in the towns of Bedford, Pound Ridge and North Castle, N.Y. and Greenwich and Stamford CT. At the center of this watershed, the Mianus River feeds the Bargh Reservoir, drinking water for 130, 000 people in Rye, Ryebrook, Portchester NY; Greenwich and Stamford, CT. The MRGP protects over 750 acres of land upstream of the Reservoir, targeting critical wetlands and important tributaries that contribute to maintaining a high quality of drinking water. In addition, the MRGP is active in protecting and enhancing the watershed in a number of ways:
- MRGP protects land adjacent to the Preserve and along the Mianus River and its tributaries through land acquisition and conservation easements. This protection is vital to maintaining good water quality.
- Working with Town and State agencies to protect the quality and quantity of water in the Mianus River.
- Monitoring wetlands, sources of water during dry spells and critical filters of pollutants.
- Educating neighbors about the value of river habitats, and how to protect them.
- Initiating projects to restore damaged areas along the Mianus River.
Mianus River Gorge Preserve
167 Mianus River Rd
Bedford, NY 10506-1808
(914) 234-3455
rodc@optonline.net