By the Bronxville Green Committee

Nov. 18, 2025: Autumn is a good time to review some healthy landscaping practices that can help your property absorb rainwater rather than sending it to Bronxville’s storm sewer system.

Rainwater that falls on every hard surface in Bronxville is being directed into the storm sewer system and from there into the Bronx River.  As we experience more extreme rain events, in which more rain falls during a short period, this system is being overwhelmed despite the Village’s significant, ongoing work and investment to keep it operating at maximum efficiency. Pollutants picked up from these hard surfaces also end up in the river.

Did you know? How we manage our autumn leaves makes a difference.  Here are some easy best practices:

Don’t leave your leaf piles in the street. It’s a violation, and leads to flooding, when you place leaves in the street. Section 260 of Bronxville’s Zoning Code expressly forbids raking leaf piles into the street.  Instead, leaves should be left on your property near the road.  The DPW picks up leaves on an accelerated schedule during high leaf season, before leaf piles can do any permanent damage to your grass.  Leaves left in the street end up clogging storm water cache basins, which undermines the optimal working of Bronxville’s storm sewer system. Please speak to your landscaper and neighbors about their practices. If you see leaf piles in the street, please send a photo to our Village Administrator – this is not for punishment, but to help educate landscaping crews and increase compliance.

Limit the amount of leaf blowing and gently move leaves into your garden beds: Leaf blowers decimate pollinator populations by killing the eggs and larvae that insects leave on whole leaves as a vital part of their lifecycle.  Leaf blowers also kick up debris, fungus, and mold, which contribute to respiratory ailments.  They compact the soil under your plants, which reduces the ground’s ability to absorb rainwater.  The result: increased flooding.

Moving fallen leaves into planting beds provides winter habitat for nature’s essential pollinators. Low leaf piles also help to reduce runoff by retaining rainwater and directing its release into the ground. Luna moth cocoons roll up in leaves for the cold months while the chrysalises of swallowtail butterflies take on the appearance of dried leaves for camouflage.  Queen bumble bees hibernate in soil, relying on leaf layers for extra protection. And snails, worms, beetles, millipedes, mites, and spiders all hibernate in leaf mulch. By the spring the leaves will have mulched into your garden beds and you will have helped to create a healthy ecosystem and strengthen your yard’s resilience to flooding. Small changes make a difference!

Learn more about Healthy Yards HERE. 

The Bronxville Green Committee is a volunteer organization that is part of the Village of Bronxville. We work to propose and implement environmentally sustainable programs in our community. Visit our website and follow us on Instagram @bxvgreencommittee to learn more.