Teaneck Creek Park:

how the park’s recent changes have improved the ecology; an explanation of what happened and why

Teaneck Creek Conservancy was founded in 2001 with the vision of restoring a degraded, overlooked section of Overpeck County Part (Area I) into an ecologically-healthy, people’s park. Teaneck Creek Conservancy serves as the nonprofit partner for the Bergen County’s Department of Parks to steward Area I. One of the first steps undertaken by the Conservancy and County was to partner with Rutgers University to understan the site’s original ecology and hydrology (flow of water).

Originally slated to be a landfill, decades of dumping, stormwater runoff, and intrusion of invasive species degraded the park. To resolve these issues the County and Conservancy began by establishing a number of goals. These project goals included:

restoring the ecological health
improving park visitor’s experience of the site by removing invasive species and debris piles
managing stormwater through innovative natural infrastructure, including sand seepage wetlands and the first regenerative stormwater conveyance system in New Jersey.

Over sixteen debris piles consisting of metal, concrete, construction materials, and other waste were removed. These areas were then transformed by the restoration efforts through shrub and tree planting and the creation of wet meadows. The wet meadow areas were built to create tiny changes in height that provide habitat and stormwater treatment and storage benefits. Large woody debris was incorporated into these areas as habitat enhancement features. These features give places for birds, butterflies, and dragonflies to rest; and for mammals to keep an alert eye out on their surroundings. The wood itself can feed many types of insects which then become food for birds.

The eroding stormwater gullies, one of which was dubbed Stormwater Canyon, created a hazard for park users and increased erosion of soil into the bodies of water downstream, including those beyond the park’s boundaries. The Regenerative Stormwater Conveyance system, “RSC”, or nature’s French drain approach, eliminated these issues. The RSC is a series of rocky pools and small cascades that safely slows the flow of excess water during storms while enhancing aesthetic and habitat value to these formerly degraded parts of the park.

Over 20 acres of the site were restored, becoming sand seepage wetlands. Sand seepage wetlands are based on a natural type of wetland that relies on the gaps present in sandy soils between the soil particles to hold the water, allowing it to slowly move through. The original flow of water in these areas had been severely disrupted by human impacts to the site, which led to poor soil health and extensive stands of non-native invasive species such as *Phragmites australis*. The stormwater delivered by the RSCs now spreads out over the series of sand seepage wetlands to restore the desirable wetland hydrology for native emergent marsh vegetation* and valuable habitat for wildlife. Downed woody material from the site was integrated as habitat features such as rootwads and standing snags.
There are many types of wetlands from swamps to bogs that differ in terms of their plant and soil composition in addition to other criteria. Native emergent marsh vegetation describes the type of wetland plants present. Native means plants evolved here. Emergent indicates the plants grow above the level of the water. Marsh indicates the wetland is mostly composed of grasses and plants that look like grasses called sedges, reeds, and rushes. More about the plants we find at Teaneck Creek can be found here.

The non-native invasive plants were removed and those areas were transformed into a series of 20 pools that became sand seepage area. During storm events, the water moves through stone flow path structures strategically located across the new wetlands to allow park visitors to continue experience the park when the water levels are high. The site has experienced multiple large storms since construction and water has been observed slowly flowing through the series of wetland pools for days after, indicating the wetland construction was a success..

The true mark of the project’s success is that the park has already seen a stunning return of wildlife. The reclamation of habitat and reintroduction of native plant species has encouraged an unprecedented number and diversity of animals returning — The true mark of the project’s success is that the park has already seen a stunning return of wildlife. The reclamation of habitat and reintroduction of native plant species has encouraged an unprecedented number and diversity of animals to return to the property. Over the next couple of years, as the native flora continues to flourish so will the wildlife.