Friends of Gorham’s Pond Board of Directors

Friends of Gorham’s Pond News Archive

Friends of Gorham’s Pond is a registered 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the preservation and restoration of the Goodwives River/Stony Brook River and Gorham’s Pond watershed. A recent Darien P&Z survey ranked the Gorham’s Pond watershed as the second most highly rated asset to the Town, after the schools. But this watershed is in need of restoration after decades of deferred maintenance and neglect.

For five decades, road sand from I-95 washed down into the Goodwives and Stony Brook rivers and, mixing with organic matter, rapidly filled in these essential waterways thru which over 65% of the land mass of Darien drains. Engineering studies have shown that 80-87% of the sediment is sand. As DOT no longer uses sand for snow mitigation, we believe now is finally time to restore this key asset to the citizens of Darien.

In addition, the filling in of these vital waterways have added to the flooding in more northern parts of Darien as rain and storm water run off cannot drain properly.

After completing the restoration of the Upper Pond (at the Goodwives River Bridge) we now intend to continue working downstream to restore the waterway. We have obtained all necessary permits to continue the dredging.

Plans are currently underway and funds are being solicited to continue the dredging. It is only with the help of our Town, State and its citizens that this project will be able to fully restore this watershed. We welcome your participation in our efforts and look forward to the day when this key habitat and recreational asset is restored.