Hutchinson River Watershed Plan

A watershed management plan helps an urbanized New York county better understand its water quality and flood priorities and identify habitat improvement opportunities.

The Hutchinson River flows through Westchester County and the Bronx on its way to the East River and the Long Island Sound. Historically, it has served as a freshwater source for many wildlife habitats and ecosystems, and as a refuge for residents of this dense urban region. Over time, however, its environmental quality has degraded as the watershed became increasingly threatened by pollution from aging infrastructure, development, and neglect.

Working with Save the Sound and the Westchester County Department of Planning, Biohabitats developed a watershed management plan focused on water quality improvements while establishing an understanding of the flood and resilience priorities within the Westchester County portion of the watershed.

Biohabitats conducted a baseline watershed assessment involving desktop analysis, pollutant load modeling focusing on non-point source pollution associated with stormwater runoff, a comparative sub-watershed analysis, and field visits to targeted locations. After sharing preliminary findings with stakeholders and incorporating their feedback, Biohabitats collaborated with the County and Save the Sound to develop watershed goals. Using this information, Biohabitats generated an ArcGIS inventory of watershed-wide improvement opportunities to achieve those goals and prepared concept designs for several project priority sites. The final Watershed Management Plan provides the foundation for further discussion and potential implementation of future watershed improvement efforts.