Protecting the Quassaick Creek watershed in Newburgh and New Windsor
The Quassaick Creek is one of Orange County's quietest but hardest-working waterways. It rises in the highlands above the City and Town of Newburgh, flows through New Windsor, and empties into the Hudson at the historic Balmville area — draining a watershed that has absorbed decades of retail sprawl, warehouse expansion, and highway runoff along the Route 17K, I-84, and I-87 corridors.
Orange Environment is tracking three converging pressures on the Quassaick:
Stormwater and impervious cover. Every new warehouse pad, retail lot, and access road that lands in the watershed adds impervious surface — and, with it, the flashy runoff that scours stream banks, flushes hydrocarbons and salt into the creek, and warms the water beyond what native aquatic life can tolerate. Current municipal stormwater programs are minimum-compliance; the creek needs more.
Sedimentation and construction runoff. Active construction sites along the corridor have repeatedly been cited for silt-fence failures and unpermitted discharges. Sediment plumes visible after storm events are one of the most reliable signals of a watershed under active stress.
Riparian buffer loss. The narrow corridor of trees and shrubs along the creek and its tributaries is the single most effective — and cheapest — form of water-quality protection available. It is also the first thing lost when a parcel is cleared for development. OE is pushing municipalities to codify riparian buffer widths in local zoning, not just in state-level SPDES permits.
What comes next. We are working with residents and allied groups on a Quassaick Creek watershed profile — mapping outfalls, identifying priority riparian restoration sites, and flagging the pending land-use approvals with the largest potential impact. If you live in the watershed and want to help — especially with photo documentation after storm events — get in touch.
The Quassaick doesn't have the profile of the Wallkill or the Ramapo. That is exactly why it needs local eyes.