Carpenter Pond Park (New Rochelle, New York)

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Carpenter’s Pond sits on the Sheldrake River in the northern end of New Rochelle. The pond has been created by a dam across the Sheldrake River, causing the river to back up directly behind it and create a long, narrow water body. The sides of the pond consist of moderately sloping woodland and city owned park land.

Over the years, as the headwaters of the Sheldrake River drained into the pond, sediment and leaves settled out of the calmer river waters behind the dam. Sediment and leaves filled much of the pond, providing room in some areas for just the river channel. Invasive plants such as Japanese Knotweed began to dominate the deposits of sediment and leaves. 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 and City of New Rochelle, a 2009 restoration project was completed which restored the ecological and water quality protection benefits once provided by the pond. The project has also created additional water storage behind the dam during significant storms, thereby providing an ancillary flood control benefit to the city.