Dickerman's Pond (New Rochelle, New York)

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Dickerman's Pond sits on the Sheldrake River just north of Sheldrake Lake. The pond is part of the Sheldrake Watershed which drains areas of Southern Westchester including Scarsdale, New Rochelle, Mamaroneck and Larchmont. It is encircled by Pine Brook Boulevard and Quaker Ridge Road. The pond was formed by a small dam across the Sheldrake River, causing the river to back up behind it in a bowl-shaped parcel of land. The surrounding sides of the bowl consist of moderately to steeply sloping woodland. Over the years, as the Sheldrake River flowed turbulently down into the pond, sediment and leaves settled out of the calmer river waters behind the dam. As a result, sediment and leaves eventually filled the pond, allowing room for only the river channel itself. Invasive plants, some of which are not native to North America, dominated the deposits of sediment and leaves including Japanese knotweed and common reeds. Thus, in addition to losing its functional value, the pond became an eyesore.

A pond habitat restoration project took place between February and September of 2008. Funded by a state Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act grant from the Department of State, as well as matching funds from the County of Westchester, City of New Rochelle and Town of Mamaroneck, the project was primarily aimed at restoring the ecological and water quality protection benefits once provided by the pond. The work also resulted in a modest amount of additional water storage behind the dam during significant storms, thereby providing an ancillary flood control benefit. The project included the removal of exotic and invasive plants and relocation of accumulated sediment and leaves to other parts of the pond footprint and banks of the pond to create a diverse aquatic ecosystem. This included a new deep water pool and wetland fringe around the pool and alongside the Sheldrake River. The surrounding woodland also has been enhanced with native shrubs and trees. The ends of three stormwater pipes draining into the pond have been stabilized with shallow, stone-lined sumps to prevent future erosion and scouring. After the exotic and/or invasive plants had been removed, the site was permanently re-vegetated with approximately 16,000 native perennials, shrubs and trees.

The site cannot be easily or safely accessed by pedestrians. However, it is visible to motorists driving through the junction of Pine Brook Boulevard and Quaker Ridge Road in the City of New Rochelle, including from the entrance and exits ramps to and from both streets at this junction.