The "Bronx River Connector" After years of planning and advocacy the Bronx River Connector opened in 2013, offering the community a safe green route from 180th Street (adjacent to FDNY Bronx Central Office) to Bronx Park. It's a 1/2 mile path along the Bronx Zoo leading to Ranaqua (NYC Bronx Parks Headquarters) and continues north onto Bronx Park. From North to south, it provides a link from Bronx Park to West Farms Park (opening very soon) and onto Starlight Park. Besides being a lovely walk or bike ride, this path is also a critical development in our mission to connect Kensico Dam and the Westchester County communities to our home in the Bronx via our 25 mile Greenway.

The Bronx River flows along the eastern shore of River Park, which boasts a striking waterfall cascading over a dam located at the southern boundary of the Bronx Zoo. The park is a favorite spot for barbequing and picnicking next to the river, which defines this gem of an open space in the West Farms community. The dam was built in the middle to late 19th century to power a mill that resided on the west side of the river. For its entire length above the falls, the river is completely freshwater, with freshwater flora and fauna. Below this point, as it flows through the South Bronx, the river becomes increasingly more saline and tidally influenced. Once a place considered unsafe for children to play, community residents note the complete transformation that the park has undergone in the past 10 years. The upper platform features bathrooms, a playground and additional seating. Access to the river for testing may only be found through a locked Parks Department access gate on the west bank in the back corner of the lower platform of the park. One may be able to collect a sample via bucket and rope or a watertight collector, but water levels are low most of the year.