by Aaron Simon 
If you walk along Greenpoint Avenue toward Queens, you will eventually approach North Henry Street, which appears to be a private road for the Wastewater Treatment Plant. A little-known fact is that the street is open to the public and leads to a city-owned Newtown Creek access point.
This access point — and the plans to revitalize once-thriving marshlands…
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Maybe I’m missing something, but wasn’t the marsh cemented over, not just because of the Industrial Revolution, but also to curtail yellow fever? I love the concept of a natural and native edge, however wouldn’t the combined sewer overflows have to be eliminated first?
Perhaps I’m missing something, but was not the waterfront paved over as a result of both the Industrial Revolution and efforts to contain Yellow Fever? Early coastal maps were drafted by the Depth of Health, not without reason. A natural and semi native edge would be wonderful. A recent Times article sited studies arguing some foreign species have proven to be beneficial to their new homes. However, the Combined Sewer Overflows pose a concern. Is there flora that may be implemented to deter mosquitoes and serve the above purpose? Would that be sufficient? Or would a costly ‘high level sewer’ need to be first implemented, as is supposedly intended for West St? Is that really happening on West? I visited Brooklyn’s DEP to get info about the proposal and was dismissed. I wanted to look at the numbers because the average rainfall numbers used to allow for the upzones were underestimated.
Hi Aaron,
Oh dear, it appeared as though my first comment vanished, so I submitted the second. Please disregard the first one, as the second one makes more of an attempt to explain itself.
Anyway, thanks for the article.
B:
Very good points. Yes, reducing CSO input into the Creek is much needed to improve water quality conditions and allow sustained growth of salt marsh. This is a bigger issue for the tributaries (like upper Dutch Kills and English Kills) as compared to ‘No Name’ Inlet, where we spartina is already growing in the Living Dock project. In regards to mosquitoes and disease, this would not be an issue with salt water marshes along the shoreline edge. Stagnant fresh water would be a problem, and already is for areas around the Creek with poor street drainage.
@NCA keep up the good work!
(thinking.. the viruses pose concern, not the insect)