The Hutch.

Most people, if they know it at all, know of the Hutchinson River as a Parkway. But it is a river, and it has a future as a recreational resource for parts of Westchester County and the Bronx.

But to improve conditions on this arm of the Hudson River estuary, people will need to speak out about their desire to see it improved.

New York City Department of Environmental Protection has scheduled a meeting to hear from residents about a critical issue: The development of a CSO Long Term Control Plan to reduce the flow of untreated sewage and stormwater that pollutes the river during rainstorms. (CSO stands for Combined Sewage Overflow, the type of sewers that transport both sewage and stormwater into our waterways.)

The hope is to significantly reduce pollution by better managing stormwater.

The city is developing this plan because of a groundbreaking agreement with the state to invest $2.4 billion to reduce the 27 billion gallons of sewage and stormwater discharged annually into the Hudson River Estuary and New York Harbor. Riverkeeper made sure decision-making will remain public—and citizens like you will have the right to enforce this landmark clean water agreement.

New York City is asking the right questions: "How do you want to use the Hutchinson River in the future? Do you want to use it for fishing, swimming, boating or some other recreational use?"

And it's going to invest in your answers. The Department of Environmental Protection plans to invest $16 million in green infrastructure in the area to improve water quality.

So, what's your answer? Is the Hutch a parkway, or is it a living river?

The meeting is Wednesday, March 26 at 6 p.m. at Harry S.Truman High School, 750 Baychester Avenue, 1st Floor, Bronx, NY.

To RSVP, please email ltcp@dep.nyc.gov or call DEP’s Community Affairs Office at (718) 595-3496.

For more information on DEP’s CSO program, please visit our LTCP Program website at nyc.gov/dep/ltcp.