County BOL Relaunches Panels on Saw Mill and Bronx River Flooding
After a two-year hiatus, the Westchester County Board of Legislators )BOL) relaunched advisory boards dedicated to addressing flooding and other issues along the Saw Mill and Bronx Rivers.
The Saw Mill River Advisory Board (SWAB) and Bronx River Advisory Board (BRAB) bring together elected officials; administrators and professionals from state, county and local governments and agencies; residents; and members of community and environmental groups, to share information and support efforts to address needs relating to the rivers.
The work of the advisory boards is increasingly important as we deal with the impact of more frequent and more extreme weather events that can cause flooding.
A meeting, held May 3, attracted nearly 30 attendees including David Kvinge, Director, Environment Planning at the County’s Department of Planning, who provided an update on projects and plans for the rivers. Those include riverbank stabilization, clearing of silt and sediment, a study of conditions along the entire Bronx River, and a plan for installing stream gauges to measure water from extreme weather events.
Attendees also raised a number of concerns including removal of invasive vines that kill trees affecting storm water management; removal of downed trees that cause flooding; strategies for dealing with debris including plastic bags and Styrofoam that back up storm drains and create debris dams; and discussion of infrastructure projects.
The Advisory Boards will meet again in June.
