Fresh Kills - Definition and Overview

Fresh Kills on the western edge of Staten Island

Fresh Kills is a stream and freshwater estuary in western Staten Island, New York. The watershed of the Fresh Kills drain much of the wet lowlands of the western portion of the island and flows into the Arthur Kill around the Isle of Meadow. The channel around the north end of the Isle of Meadow is sometimes called Little Fresh Kill and the southern channel is called Great Fresh Kill.

The stream has two major branches. The north branch is Main Creek. The south branch is Richmond Creek, which drains much of the central part of the island, with its headwaters near Historic Richmond Town, on the southern end of the terminal moraine of the island. The system streams provide recreational kayaking and wildlife viewing in the preserved wetlands.

The name Fresh Kills is often taken to mean the Fresh Kills Landfill, formerly the principal landfill of New York City, which closed in 2001. The landfill is located in several units along the stream itself.

See also

• Geography of New York Harbor