Caring for the Waters We Share.
Join neighbors working to protect and restore the Sparkill Creek Watershed – for people, wildlife and our future.
Boots on the Ground and in the Creek!
Sparkill Creek Watershed Alliance is a community effort that brings together neighbors, families, organizations, and businesses to care for the creek and protect it for future generations.
Water quality is a local issue best solved through local action. We are an all-volunteer nonprofit founded in 2010 and received our 501(c)(3) designation in 2015.
Sparkill Creek is a living thread that connects our communities, landscapes, and wildlife.
Beginning on Clausland Mountain and winding eight miles to the Hudson River at Piermont Marsh, the creek flows through six New York hamlets and one New Jersey borough.
Along the way, it nourishes forests, wetlands, and neighborhoods across a 12-square-mile watershed — reminding us that what happens upstream affects everything downstream.
Why the Creek Matters: Understanding the Issues
Floodwater, Stormwater and other Threats
Sparkill Creek is rich in history, beauty, and ecological importance, but the watershed has faced increasing pressure over many decades as Rockland County has grown since the construction of the first Tappan Zee Bridge. That long-term development and population growth has affected the health of the creek, while flooding, stormwater, and polluted runoff continue to threaten both the waterway and the communities along its path.
Flooding causes the greatest harm to the Sparkill Creek and nearby streams, mainly through heavy silt buildup.
Fast stormwater erodes stream banks, washing soil into the water and increasing siltation.
Silt buries stream life, suffocating aquatic insects, fish, amphibians, plants, and algae.
Pollution and Contamination
The Sparkill Creek Watershed is heavily developed, and building continues today. Stormwater flow can destroy vegetation and increase silt in the creek. Paving to the water’s edge sends runoff directly into the creek with no natural buffer. Lawns that extend to the creek provide little riparian protection, increasing flooding and allowing fertilizers and other lawn chemicals to wash into the water.
Trash and litter wash into streams and waterways.
Storm drains often carry polluted runoff directly into streams.
Lawn fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides can harm the creek.
What is a Watershed?
In simple terms, a watershed is the land area where rain and runoff flow downhill into nearby creeks, streams, and rivers. Along the way, that water can carry pollutants into storm drains or directly into local waterways.
Common pollutants include:
Trash and litter
Oil and gasoline
Fertilizers and pesticides
Cleaning chemicals
Pharmaceuticals and household waste
These pollutants can harm:
Fish, birds, and wildlife
Plants and aquatic habitats
Water quality in our streams
Sources of drinking water
According to the EPA, polluted runoff is one of the leading threats to surface water quality.
Explore our Watershed Report Card to see the health of the Sparkill Creek Watershed and why community action matters. Visit our reports and resources page to learn more and get involved with the Sparkill Creek Watershed Alliance.
Join Our
Monthly Meeting
Monthly meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month at Christ Church in Sparkill at 6:30 pm except August and December.
(Corner of Union and Valentine. Parking is in the Parish lot.)
Church Address:
5 New Street, Sparkill, NY 10976
Get Involved
Want to volunteer, partner, or just stay informed? We’d like to hear from you.