April 2001 online edition

Over the years, almost 2,000 railroad ties have been disposed of in the Croton River Estuary, which empties into the Hudson at the village of Croton-on-Hudson. Efforts to remove the ties began in 1997 when the village successfully applied for Clean Air/Clean Water Bond Act funds. It received $50,000 in matching funds for a pilot scale project.

Since then, village officials have had a series of meetings with representatives of New York State Department of Conservation to discuss the scope and necessary permits. They also signed a contract with the environmental firm of Hudsonia Ltd. for monitoring.

"We wanted to find out if the removal of the ties would have a positive or negative impact on the environment," Village Manager Richard Herbek said.

The village also explored a partnership with the United States Military Academy, located 15 miles to the north in West Point, for removing the ties. Other interested parties are the Hudson River American Heritage Initiative and the River Navigator.

The area covers about 35 acres and is mostly shallows, with mudflats, and is subject to tides. It is adjacent to Van Cortlandt Manor, a restoration operated by Historic Hudson Valley, and a site listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

It provides a nursery for many fish, including striped bass, American shad, white perch, tomcod and Atlantic sturgeon. It is also a feeding ground for many waterfowl and migratory birds, with sightings of Bald Eagles increasing in recent years.

The Croton Bay and Estuary are within the designated Hudson River estuarine district and overseen by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation's Hudson River Estuary Management Plan of 1996.

Herbek said the project will support many of the objectives of the plan including maintaining and enhancing scenic resources and provide scenic, ecological and recreational enhancement to river sites which have been or are being developed.

Herbek listed the considerations which have to be taken into account before the removal can begin: the spawning season, tides, access and low clearance of the railroad trestle, existing vegetation in the estuary, and analysis of the sediment to see if any contaminants are present.

Eric Kiviat of Hudsonia described the first steps of the study which were undertaken in November. Four "study plots" were established, each with approximately 25 visible ties. Ties will be removed from two of them, the other two will be used as control plots.

Three waterbird surveys, on different days, were conducted. The surveys will be repeated each year for the next four years, for a comparative study. Mr. Kiviat said the birds were mainly gulls, mute swans, mallard and American crow. "The birds like the ties," he noted. "They stand on them to forage, and pick the food off the sides."

David Yozzo said the samples were collected for contaminant testing by a subcontractor of Hudsonia, and results should be available shortly. He thought the quality of the water will be similar to that of New York Harbor. The testing will be repeated after the tie removal.

At a recent briefing on the project, representatives of the military academy's Department of Geology and Environmental Engineering showed a video of the debris in the site at low tide taken from a helicopter.

When asked how the fifty ties will be removed, Rachel Jones of NYSDEC, said a decision has still to be reached. She pointed out the ties weigh 500 to 600 pounds each, and that it is impossible to bring in a barge because of the railroad trestle. "We've been brainstorming," she said, "and have considered helicopters."

Metro North Railroad will be approached for assistance in removing the ties from the site. Metro North is considering whether it should remove approximately 200,000 ties that have been buried along the Hudson and Harlem lines in Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties.

None of the officials would even speculate on a time frame for the removal of all the ties. If the pilot program is successful, West Point officials said the college would help with the removal - providing strong ammunition for federal funds.

The Croton study is sparking a great deal of interest in communities along the Hudson River because it may develop a protocol for the removal of other eyesores such as rotting barges, piers and wooden bulkheads. "Indeed, it may even be applicable to other American Heritage Rivers," said Croton Mayor Robert Elliott.

Croton Bay and Estuary had an even earlier environmental impact. In 1841 the first Croton Dam, an earthen dam, broke and thousands of tons of silt were deposited in the mouth of the river -- effectively cutting off navigation for all time.