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

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