Bronx River - DEP

Environmental Protection


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Long-Term Control Plans
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Long-Term Control Plans

Harbor Water Quality

Trash in Waterways

Waterbody Advisories


Bronx River

The Bronx River is a tributary of the East River and flows generally from north to south through Westchester County and central Bronx County. The headwaters of the Bronx River are at Davis Brook and the Kensico Dam and extend to the mouth between Hunts Point and Clason Point along the East River. The northern portion of the river upstream of East Tremont Avenue is freshwater. South of this point, the river is tidally influenced and generally brackish.

In the 17th Century the Bronx River was referred to as Aquehung or “River of High Bluffs” by the Mohican Indians who first lived off of the river. At the beginning of the 18th Century, roughly 12 water mills were producing paper, pottery, flour, tapestries, and snuff along the Bronx River. Much of the valley remained densely vegetated and forested well into the 19th Century. However, in the 1840s during railroad construction, the valley was turned into an industrial corridor. In 1905, Westchester County constructed the Bronx River Valley Sewer which discharged into the Bronx River. New York City’s demand for water continued to rise and the construction of the Kensico Dam diverted the upper reaches of the Bronx River into the reservoir, cutting the river’s water flow by approximately 25 percent in 1915. The river’s history since the 1880s has been an effort to reclaim and protect it from urbanization. In 1888, Bronx Park was created by consolidation of surrounding properties to buffer against development on both sides of the river. The Bronx River Parkway was completed in 1925, and includes a collection of lakes, parks, and limited access roadways stretching from the Kensico Dam to Bronx Park. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, city and state highway projects distanced the Bronx River communities from each other as well as the river. In 1974, as a response to the poor conditions of the Bronx River, local residents formed the Bronx River Restoration Project, Inc. The group was successful in removing debris from the shoreline of the Bronx River. In 1996, the Restoration Project was strengthened with the Bronx Riverkeeper Program, created in a partnership with the City of New York Parks and Consolidated Edison Corporation. In 1997 the Bronx River Working Group expanded the effort to include over 60 community groups, government agencies, schools, and businesses. Additionally, the Bronx River Alliance was created in 2001 as the next step in the effort to restore and protect the Bronx River. The City’s LTCP program continues the on-going effort to improve the Bronx River.

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Long Term Control Plan

DEP completed a Long Term Control Plan (LTCP) to better understand CSO impacts on water quality within the Bronx River. Throughout the LTCP’s development the City collected water quality data, performed extensive modeling, held multiple public meeting and analyzed potential projects based on costs and anticipated water quality.

To learn more about the Bronx River LTCP and other improvement projects, download the factsheet.

Bronx River CSO LTCP Fact Sheet

The Bronx River LTCP was submitted to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in June 2015. DEC approved the plan on March 7, 2017.

Bronx River June 2015 LTCP

Bronx River LTCP - Public Comment Response Summary

Bronx River DEC Approval Letter

Public Meetings

Bronx Borough President Combined Borough Board & Borough Services Meeting

January 22, 2015 – Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education 928 Simpson Street, 6th Floor, Bronx

Bronx BP January 22, 2015 Presentation

Bronx River LTCP Kickoff Meeting

February 12, 2015 – Casita Maria, Bronx

Bronx River Kickoff Meeting Advertisement

Bronx River Kickoff Meeting Presentation

Bronx River River Kick-Off Meeting Summary and Comments

Bronx River CSO LTCP Kickoff Fact Sheet

Bronx River Kickoff Meeting Boards

What is a Combined Sewer Overflow

Current Water Quality Standards Updated

NYC Wastewater Drainage Areas and Wastewater Collection Facilities

Types of Green Infrastructure

Potential LTCP Alternatives

NYC’s Combined Sewer Areas and LTCP Waterbodies

Combined Sewer Overflow in NYC

Nine elements of a Long Term Control Plan

Bronx River Green Infrastructure

Bronx River Watershed

Bronx River LTCP Public Meeting 2

May 7, 2015 – Casita Maria, Bronx

Bronx River 2nd Meeting Advertisement

Bronx River 2nd Meeting Presentation

Bronx River 2nd Meeting Summary

Waterbody/Watershed Facility Plan

The Bronx River Waterbody/Watershed Facility Plan was submitted to DEC in July 2010.

Bronx River WWFP

Additional Materials

Bronx River LTCP - DEC Comments 8/24/15

Bronx River LTCP - Response to DEC Comments Cover Letter 9/23/15

Bronx River LTCP - Response to DEC Comments 9/23/15

Bronx River Long Term Control Plan—Relief Sewer CSO Control Compliance Summary Technical Memorandum 9/09/2020

Bronx River Updated Proposed Cost Effective Modifications to Design Scope Cover Letter 10/30/2020

Get Involved

For more information, please email ltcp@dep.nyc.gov and visit our LTCP Program webpage.