DAYLIGHT TIBBETTS BROOK It was there in 1873... Where has Tibbetts Brook gone?

Tibbett Ave.

Broadway

Tibbetts Brook can be seen here traveling south Olmsted Archives. City As the city grew, were filled in and Open Street Map Department of Parks and Recreation. across . It meanders back and forth 1873. steams were covered over. Today, Tibbetts brook across the valley, surrounded by wetlands. It’s is nowhere to be seen south of Van Cortlandt southern end empies into Spuyten Duyvel Creek Lake. Also notice Spuyten Duyvel Creek has been at the northern tip of Manhattan re-routed to become the Ship Canal. Late 1800s Present Day This map illustrates the This map describes the situation in the late current situation. 1800s. As Tibbetts Brook pours Tibbetts brook is out of Van Cortlandt meandering from Lake, it enters a brick Van Cortlandt Lake to tunnel. This tunnel Spuyten Duyvel Creek. curves to the west and merges with a large The Putman Railroad sewer under . Line is running parallel and actually crossing Van This sewer is a combined Cortlandt Lake. sewer, which means it carries rain water and There are very few household and industrial roads in the area and raw sewage. developement is limited. During dry weather, all this sewage, including water from Tibbetts Brook, is pumped to the Wards Island Wastewater Treatment Plant.

During wet weather, much of this sewage overflows into the Harlem River. Feet Feet Feet Feet Feet Feet 0 750 1,500 0 750 1,500 0 750 1,500 0 750 1,500 0 750 1,500 0 750 1,500 It was there in 1873. “ Bluebelt: Interview. Spiritos, Erica. Assistant Proposed Improvements to Reduce Project Manager. NYC Environmental Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Protection Bureau of Engineering, Events.” NYC DEP. Design & Construction. October, 2014. Still just stream water... Stream Water Mixes with Sewage

After Tibbetts Brook pours over the dam at the bottom of Van Photo: Steve Duncan The cylindrical tunnel merges with this large double arched tunnel Photo: Steve Duncan Cortlandt Lake, it enters this large cylindrical brick tunnel. At this “Van Cortlandt Park Master Plan under broadway. The double arched tunnel carries sewage from “Van Cortlandt Park Master Plan point, it is still just water from Tibbetts Brook. 2034.” Department of househoulds and buisinesses. Tibbets brook has become sewage at 2034.” New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. 2014. Parks and Recreation. 2014. this point. That’s a lot of overflow... Where does the water come from?

In wet weather, the broadway sewer carrying Tibbetts Brook overflows into the Harlem River here at Outfall WI-056.

This outfall deals with water from a 2,113 acre cachement. 831,000,000 gallons of sewage overflow into the Harlem River here every year.

236,000,000 gallons or 28.3% of tha come from Tibbetts Brook.

Outfall WI-056 is the largest combined sewer overflow outfall in the bronx by volume of overflow.

In dry weather, none of the sewage in the broadway sewer Hartman, “A Geographic Approach to Tibbetts Brook recieves water from a catchment area in the Bronx “Westchester County Geographic Modeling the Impact of Green Roofs Information System.” overflows into the Harlem River. Instead it is diverted to the Wards on Combined Sewer Overflows in the and Yonkers. Need numbers on acres. Island Wastewater Treatment Plant. This means that all the stream Bronx.” 2008. water flowing in Tibbetts Brook is unneccesarily treated at this “Van Cortlandt Park Bluebelt: Proposed Improvements to Reduce plant. Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Events.” NYC DEP. An opportunity too good to pass up... Tibbetts Brook Sees Light Again The former route of the The former railroad line Putnam Railroad line sits property could be used abandoned between Van to carry Tibbetts Brook Cortlandt Park and the to the Harlem River. This Harlem River. would avoid the merging with the sewer line and This abandoned property avoid issues associated roughly paralels the old with that. route of Tibbetts Brook. The property could be used to construct a replica of a natural stream.

Alternatively, a new pipe could be built on the property. This would still keep the stream from mixing with sewage.

Feet Feet Feet Feet Feet Feet 0 750 1,500 0 750 1,500 0 750 1,500 0 750 1,500 0 750 1,500 0 750 1,500 That’s a lot of overflow... Where does the water come from?

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection is responsible managing the city’s sewer system.

They have proposed a solution that would involve altering Van Cortlandt Lake to detain water during wet weather. This would not address the issue the stream water being treated at the WWTP during dry weather.

Hartman, “A Geographic Approach to Modeling the Impact of Green Roofs This chart compares pros and cons of: on Combined Sewer Overflows in the Van Cortlandt Lake water detention Bronx.” 2008. Constructing a new separated culvert for Tibbetts Brook “Van Cortlandt Park Bluebelt: Daylighitng Tibbetts Brook Proposed Improvements to Reduce Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Events.” NYC DEP.