Today, the Bronx & Harlem Rivers Urban Waters Federal Partnership celebrated its 10th anniversary on the High Bridge over the Harlem River in New York City.
The Urban Waters Federal Partnership is an initiative to reconnect urban communities with their waterways by improving coordination among federal agencies and collaborating with community-led revitalization efforts that promote economic, environmental and social benefits. The Bronx and Harlem Rivers are part of the larger Hudson River / NY-NJ Harbor Estuary and Long Island Sound systems, and as such, hold enormous potential to provide wide-ranging benefits to millions of people in the region.
Led locally by the Department of the Interior’s U.S. Geological Survey and supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Bronx & Harlem Rivers Urban Waters Federal Partnership works to help overburdened and underserved communities reconnect to their waterways, reduce the adverse impacts of urbanization on water quality and human health and restore degraded riverfronts and watersheds while pursuing environmental justice.
“Restoring urban rivers is essential to protecting Americans’ health and improving their overall quality of life. Through the Urban Waters Federal Partnership, agencies and local partners are revitalizing urban waterways and the communities that surround them, transforming overlooked assets and driving urban revival,” said Tanya Trujillo, Assistant Secretary for Water and Science, U.S. Department of the Interior. “We are grateful to our partners who are working to restore urban waters not only to improve the water that we all depend on, but also for spurring economic and recreational opportunities.”
“This anniversary of the Bronx & Harlem Rivers Urban Waters Federal Partnership is a momentous milestone for the program, and EPA is proud to help support the important work to enhance the Bronx and Harlem Rivers and their watersheds,” said Walter Mugdan, EPA Region 2 Acting Regional Administrator. “Active engagement and community-focused cooperation are the hallmarks of realizing demonstrable improvements for these rivers and the community’s engagement with them as we work together to advance climate justice.”
For more information, please visit the Urban Waters website here.
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About the U.S. Department of the Interior
The Department of the Interior conserves and manages the Nation’s natural resources and cultural heritage for the benefit and enjoyment of the American people, provides scientific and other information about natural resources and natural hazards to address societal challenges and create opportunities for the American people, and honors the Nation’s trust responsibilities or special commitments to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and affiliated island communities to help them prosper.
