Overview
The Alley Creek-Little Neck Bay watershed in northeastern Queens is a developed urban/suburban watershed that is approximately 10 square miles. Since the 1990s, millions of dollars have been allocated by New York City to improving and enhancing natural resources in the watershed. The NYC Department of Environmental Protection has focused over the last decade on meeting state and federal quality standards. It has performed extensive monitoring of the Bay and Alley Creek to characterize and assess sources of impairments. Impairments include combined sewer overflows, stormwater runoff, illicit discharges, and seepage from septic tanks.
Despite significant efforts and successes in environmental protection and management, the ecological resources within the watershed are still significantly impaired compared to pre-development conditions and still face many threats often associated with a highly developed urban landscape. Due to ongoing human activities that have permanently altered the ecosystem, ongoing management and planning is necessary to counteract stressors and maintain valuable ecological characteristics. DEP has developed a watershed plan that provides approaches to ongoing responsive management, advocacy, stewardship, and restoration actions that will lead to a healthier watershed.
During the watershed planning process, four goals were identified. They include habitat protection, enhancement, and restoration; stormwater management; increased public engagement; and improving the resiliency of watershed resources. To achieve these overarching goals, the watershed plan describes a number of strategies and recommendations. In total, the plan describes 79 programmatic or watershed wide recommendations, identifies 60 sites for stormwater management recommendations, and lists 70 sites where habitat or other management actions could be taken.
A subset of actions identified in Alley Creek-Little Neck Bay Watershed Plan can be implemented by various stakeholders through partnerships. These actions have many benefits, such as:
- Cost effectiveness
- Stakeholder support
- Protection of existing habitats
- Opportunities to expand and improve habitats
- Educational opportunities
- Increased stewardship
- Improvements to access and resiliency
Interested in learning more about or becoming involved in improving water quality within the Alley Creek-Little Neck Bay Watershed? Learn more about the watershed plan here.
Partners
- NYC Department of Parks and Recreation Natural Resources Group
- NYS Department of State Office of Planning Development & Community Infrastructure