Post on 15-Jan-2016
Fresh Kills Landfill: from dump to parkSimon SchreierDepartment of Plant and Environmental Science
Fresh Kills Landfill
-2,200 acre landfill-Staten Island-Opened 1947-Once largest landfill in
the world-Closed in 2001, briefly
reopened
Important facts
-75 ft. taller than statue of liberty-29,000 tons of garbage/day
(1986)-Seagulls, rats consistent problem-archaic landfill
-leaching, ground water contamination, toxics
-Close in March, 2001-Briefly reopened to handle 9/11
steel
650 tonsX
44=
29,000 tons/day
What was left when it closed
-Subsoil totally covered and degraded-Natural regimes completely interrupted-150 million tons of solid waste-Landfill covered with layer of topsoil
What was there
Salt MarshTidal Wetlands
ForestsFreshwater Wetlands
Estuarine habitat Salt Marsh
Tidal Wetland
Estuary: salt meets freh
What’s the plan: Natural Systems
Waterfront: uninterrupted waterfront planted with native species. Creates a habitat corridor, links to other waterways
Watershed: Restore storm water retention functionality and improve connectivity to surrounding hydrology
Vegetation: Reference other parts of NYC (Staten, Manhattan, Brooklyn). Increase overall diversity of plants to provide desirable habitat and aesthetic appeal
Flyway: Provide a corridor for migratory seabirds, connecting them to The Atlantic Seaboard Flyway
Transportation Network
Provide transportation for Staten Island, and connect the park to the community
Create new water links to NYC, potentially rail links
Connection to existing trails, greenways and other surface paths
Other goals
Open spaces network: Largest park in NYC, more than doubling recreational green space
Surrounding land: mixed-use development to promote landscape level protection and job growth
Resources: harvest methane for fuel, vegetate land cover, provide spawning grounds and oyster habitat
Freshkills, NY circa 1912. Large areas are underwater. The area is largely undeveloped, with some industry and agriculture. Native species are plentiful, especially marine life
The master plan proposed by Field Operations in 2001. The plan incorporates human usage into restoration and ongoing natural regimes
Technical aspects
Soil engineering Development of an ecological community
-The abiotic barrier has been broken-Develop plant communities based on surrounding ecology and similar habitats-Designing the pathways and human interactions to minimize degradation-Reintroducing historically important species
What’s been done1999: NY government
organizes international design competition
2003: Landscape architecture firm Field Operations wins the contract
2010: Mayor Bloomberg broke ground on the first park
The future
2001 2011 2040
Increase usage of reknewable energy Landfill monitoring ends by 2035Stabilize woodland and wetland habitats Active regeneration completed by 2040Community settlement complete by 2030 Complete regeneration by 2050
The end product
Literature CitedAnonymous. " New York, New York - Fresh kills landfill closes." Biocycle. 42.4 (2001): 22-23. Print
New York City Department of Parks and Recreation
Richard Impellitteri, Vincent. Fresh Kills landfill. 1st ed. New York: Tabard Press, 1951. Print.
Loehfelm, Bill. Fresh Kills. 1st ed. London: Penguin Books, Ltd., 2009. Print.
Field Operations, Inc. Fresh Kills Park: draft master plan. New York: New York City Department of City Planning, 2006. Print.
Miller, Frederic, Agnes Vandome, and John McBrewster. Freshkills Park. Mauritius: VDM Publishing House Ltd, 2010. Print.
Field Operations Incorporated
QuestionsQuestions