Written by Robin Lynn, Photos from NYC H2O. (Photo above shows Matthew Malina, Executive Director and founder of NYC H2O)
New York City’s Water
New Yorkers summon water into their homes simply by turning on their water faucet. With flick of the wrist, water needed for drinking, showering, cooking and a million other purposes flows out. Water is the liquid force that sustains all of us, yet for most city dwellers it’s just there, hiding in the pipes, waiting to be called upon. We rarely question where it comes from or how it reaches us.
But what would happen if we were to call it forth, and nothing came? What then? Our ability to live in the city depends upon the success of the New York City water supply system to bring us clean water. Yet this mostly underground and invisible complex engineering marvel, whose construction began in the early years of the 19th century, is the taken-for-granted underpinning of our city. No water, no city. No water, no life.
NYC H2O
NYC H20, a 10-year-old nonprofit organization, pulls the curtain back on the incredible NYC water supply system to inspire and educate New Yorkers of all ages to learn about, enjoy and protect their city’s local water ecology. By providing public programs to adults and school children at historic reservoirs, parklands, watersheds, bays, rivers and wetlands, its activities explore what is needed for urban water resilience -at a time when climate change impact continues to escalate – and promotes science-based knowledge of New York’s local ecosystems. Its overarching goal is to connect New Yorkers to nature by helping them before informed citizens and stewards of NYC’s spectacular water system
The group examines the system’s historical beginnings and present-day conditions by offering walking, bike and canoe tours, and public talks. Professional engineers and educators explore the physical system, from reservoirs to brick-lined aqueduct to hidden canals to the industries dependent on fresh, clean water.
Ridgewood Reservoir
Its signature program brings legions of adults and landlocked school children to Ridgewood Reservoir – once the holding pen for all of Brooklyn’s water- for water ecology and engineering field trips to understand how the passage of both water and time effect ecological systems. The Ridgewood Reservoir in Highland Park, a 50+ acre natural oasis that straddles the border of Brooklyn and Queens, was built in 1859 to supply the once independent City of Brooklyn with high quality water. It became obsolete with the addition of new reservoirs in the Catskills in the 1950’s and was decommissioned in the 1980’s. Since then, nature took its course in a perfect case study of ecological succession. A lush and dense forest has grown in its two outside basins while a freshwater pond with waterfowl sits in the middle basin. This fresh water source is critical to migrating birds on the Atlantic Flyway. Specifically, both areas, side-by-side, help the general public and students understand that nature and forests help keep the water clean in the watershed.
Have you been to Ridgewood Reservoir? It’s worth the trip. This fall, consider doing volunteer landscaping at Ridgewood Reservoir:
NYC H2O’s Fall Programs
On Sunday, September 8, 10 AM – 1 PM or Sunday, October 6, 10 AM – 1 PM, join NYC H2O and the NYC Parks Department to remove invasive plants from the path around the Ridgewood Reservoir, a beautiful home to 175 species of plants, many of which are unwanted. This project we will focus on removing mugwort on the causeway between basins 2 and 3. No cost, but registration is required. www.NYCH2O.org or www.eventbrite.com. The group meets in the parking lot on Vermont Place, Brooklyn, NY 11207 across the street from the reservoir. For more info and to register, click below:
- Volunteer Landscaping at Ridgewood Reservoir on Sunday, September 8th
- Volunteer Landscaping at Ridgewood Reservoir on Sunday, October 6th
Or, are you more interested in the relationship of clean water to industrial growth in New York City, specifically the beer industry?
On Saturday, October 26, join beer historian Chris Heuberger on a guided walking tour through Bushwick, Brooklyn, once a major beer brewing center of America. Discover the historic 19th-century brewery buildings along Brewers’ Row and learn about local and American history through the story of beer. With ready access to quality water from the Ridgewood Reservoir, plentiful hops grown in upstate New York, and a thriving German immigrant population, it’s no wonder why Bushwick was such a brewing powerhouse. So it’s fitting that we’ll end at one of the area’s newest breweries, Interboro, to toast the triumphant return of brewing to Brooklyn! Light rain, we walk. Heavy rain postpones until Sunday October 27, 2019. The cost is $30 per person and advance registration is required for the 4 – 6 p.m. tour. The group meets at 31 Belvidere Street in Brooklyn. For more info and to register, click here.
These are just a few events and educational programs offered by NY H2O. Visit their website, www.NYCH2O.org, to learn more. Or better yet, join one of their wonderful tours and volunteer opportunities. What a great way to give back to our environment and community!