Patroon Creek Watershed
The Patroon Creek is primarily an urban watercourse, which feeds the Hudson
River. Due to land uses in this watershed, the water quality is greatly impacted
by stormwater runoff, making the creek a high priority on the Committee’s
list. The projects underway in the Patroon Creek Watershed include a combination
of education, pollution prevention and clean up along the Creek.
An education initiative will use roadside signs to raise awareness of the Creek and classroom and community presentations to explain the effects of nonpoint source pollution on the creek. This effort will highlight the importance of community involvement in ensuring clean water.
Plans for clean up along the creek include the removal of refuse and debris from a site at the edge of Tivoli Preserve. Once this is completed, the site may be used as a permanent monitoring site. Other work in Tivoli Preserve involves the capping of an old unregulated landfill. This measure will prevent lead-filled coal ash from running off into the creek. After the bank is capped, plants will be placed to stabilize the bank and prevent erosion.
Another portion of the creek was found
to be significantly impacted by runoff from adjacent roadways and erosion from
road construction sites. Best management practices such as hay bales and silt
fences will be placed along the bank here to trap and filter sediment and reduce
the impacts of runoff entering the creek.