One of the most formidable tasks facing the BPC was removing the tremendous deposits of debris that had choked the river over the decades. After the BPC acquired title to a parcel, workers would remove sunken logs, trees, and other trash from the river. A systematic cleaning of the entire river was well underway by 1914 when a drought presented an unusual opportunity to step up operations. Low water made it easier to find and remove logs and other debris that embedded in the river bottom. Workers forked and raked the muddy bottom of the river, extracting an unusual assortment of rubbish. Describing these cleanup efforts, the commission reported:
This thorough cleaning stirred up the muddy bottom, which was saturated with oils, sewage, and other sediment. According to the BPC, several heavy rains helped wash away the sediment to a considerable extent. The heavy rains also revealed many items buried in the mud that had not been extracted during the first round of cleaning. Some sections of the river were raked over repeatedly, with some areas cleaned on four separate occasions. "Each operation," the BPC reported, brought "to light relics of an earlier period than the one before." Trash extracted from the river was piled along the riverbanks to use as fill for low spots in the parkway. Once the river was substantially cleaned, the New York Aquarium provided a million perch to restock the waterway.(116) Removing obstructions and stabilizing the riverbanks with stone riprap increased the river’s carrying capacity and helped control flooding. Improved water flow during dry weather also helped maintain clean water conditions.(117) Cleanup and ForestryIn addition to reclaiming the Bronx River, the BPC cleaned each parcel of land as soon as it acquired title. Workers removed dead trees, stumps, and logs. They cleared brush and high weeds, removed and buried refuse, and eliminated mosquito-breeding areas. This reclamation work also included grading and filling low spots and improving soil conditions. The BPC’s goal was to restore the land to a "clean, sanitary condition" and encourage the healthy development of trees and vegetation.(118) In many areas of the parkway, particularly near Scarsdale, BPC crews repaired the damage done by the contractors that built the Bronx Valley Sewer. The contractors had back-filled the sewer excavations with broken rock and boulders to a depth of twenty feet, but deposited no fine material between the stones. The result was a "rocky waste" that did not support vegetation. The BPC discovered that even if a layer of soil was laid over the rocks, it would quickly wash away leaving raw stones that could not retain enough moisture to promote plant growth. To fix the problem, the BPC used a pump mounted on a scow in the Bronx River to flush soil into the rock fill. The water carried the soil to the full depth of the original excavation and after nearly two months of pumping almost continually, the area was seeded and planted. These plantings included White Pines and a variety of small trees and shrubs. After the Scarsdale section was reclaimed, the BPC applied similar treatments to other areas.(119) Along with clean-up efforts, the BPC immediately instituted a forestry program. "The condition of the trees in this section of the country," the BPC noted, was "cause for grave concern." Prompt measures were necessary. Within a few months after the parkway project received its official authorization in 1913, the BPC was ready to proceed. It hired a forester, Albert N. Robson, who was noted for his experience in tree care. In addition, the commission engaged Hermann Merkel, a landscape architect and forester at the Bronx Zoo and Botanical Gardens, who was considered to be a recognized authority on various tree pests. Robson’s and Merkel’s first year with the commission resulted in 13,018 dead trees being removed, 5,037 trees trimmed, and 16,039 trees improved and reclaimed by surgery.(120) |
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Parkway Commission, Report, 1916, 35-36. |
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