After decades of use as a landfill, Overpeck Creek's recent makeover has created a dream home for rowing crews from around the New York region, reports Juliet Macur.
With $100 million invested over a period of seven years, a cleanup project has transformed the Overpeck Creek, previously a toxic garbage dump, into a much more viable open space. The revival of this large stretch of water has made it an ideal location for reviving New York's historic infatuation with the sport of rowing.
Clemens Reinke, the rowing coach at Teaneck High, Leonia High and Fairleigh Dickinson College, knew that Overpeck Creek was a rower's dream from the moment he saw it two years ago: "It stretches about 4,000 meters - roughly two and a half miles, twice the length of an Olympic course - and has no current because the creek was dammed from the Hackensack River years ago."
Although, remnants of the landfill come up from time to time, it is far better than the Passaic River, the alternate venue for rowing. "Overpeck Creek, a tributary of the Hackensack River, does not rival mountain spring water in its purity, but it is much cleaner than the Passaic," said Bill Sheehan, the founder of Hackensack Riverkeeper, an advocate for the river. "Sheehan added that sewage overflow into the Passaic was common. 'If you swallow the water, you're definitely going to come down with something, maybe dysentery,' he said. That is not the case with the Overpeck."
FULL STORY: Once an Urban Landfill, Now a Rowing Paradise

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie