New Conceptual Plan Envisions a More Resilient Kearny Riverbank Park

New Design Report Developed for the Town of Kearny, Lower Passaic River Urban Waters Federal Partnership, and the New York-New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program by Princeton Hydro Reenvisions Access to the Lower Passaic River at Valued Community Park

New York, N.Y. (August 11, 2026)  — The Lower Passaic River Urban Waters Federal Partnership recently collaborated with the Town of Kearny and Princeton Hydro to develop a design report for a nine-acre stretch of waterfront parkland at Kearny Riverbank Park which identifies specific opportunities to improve shoreline resilience, restore ecological function, and reconnect residents with the Passaic River. The report was made possible through funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the NY-NJ Harbor & Estuary Program.

The Lower Passaic River is an invaluable ecological system and community resource that has been shaped by degradation from decades of pollution. Along the river’s lower 17-mile tidal stretch, manufacturing and other industrial activities have left behind layers of dioxin, mercury, PCBs, and other toxic contaminants in the river’s sediments. To address this, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a final plan in 2016 to dredge and cap the entire lower eight miles of the river in an effort to remove 3.5 million cubic yards of toxic sediment from the aquatic environment. 

Over the past few years, the Lower Passaic River Urban Waters Federal Partnership has worked to identify and address deteriorated shoreline structures along portions of the river, in line with its broader goal of improving public waterfront access, habitat, and resilience to help manage erosion, urban flooding, and stormwater. The proposed conceptual design for Kearny Riverbank Park envisions a waterfront park that restores ecological function, honors cultural memory, and provides a safe, legible, and beautiful public space connecting residents to the Passaic River. Estimated to cost between $11-13 million, the plan for the park offers a model for addressing shoreline restoration and public access along the lower Passaic River in coordination with the EPA-approved remedial action.

Hosted by the Hudson River Foundation under the NY-NJ Harbor & Estuary Program, the Lower Passaic River Urban Waters Federal Partnership aims to advance cleanup, restoration, and stewardship of the Lower Passaic River while supporting equitable, sustainable development along its banks.

Click here to read the complete design report and to learn more about this effort.