Hook Creek is a stream on the
South Shore of
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
, in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
, United States. The creek travels through both the
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
...
of
Queens
Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...
and the
Town of Hempstead in
Nassau County.
Description
Hook Creek runs between
Rosedale, Queens
Rosedale is a neighborhood in New York City in the southeastern portion of the borough of Queens. The neighborhood, located along the southern part of Queens, borders Nassau County.
Rosedale is located in Queens Community District 13 and it ...
and
Jamaica Bay
Jamaica Bay (also known as Grassy Bay) is an estuary on the southern portion of the western tip of Long Island, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The estuary is partially man-made, and partially natural. The bay connects with Lo ...
.
The creek begins in Rosedale, flowing in a drainage tunnel towards the south, west, and southwest roughly following along Hook Creek Boulevard, eventually reaching
Sunrise Highway/Conduit Boulevard (NY 27) and the
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...
&
Montauk Branch
The Montauk Branch is a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The line runs the length of Long Island, 115 miles (185 km) from Long Island City to Montauk. However, in LIRR maps and sche ...
es of the
Long Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road , or LIRR, is a Rail transport, railroad in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County on Long Islan ...
.
It then meanders its way south to
Woodmere, forming part of the border between
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
and
Nassau County – in addition to forming parts of the
Village of Valley Stream's western border.
Hook Creek eventually emerges from the tunnel near the
Green Acres Mall
Green Acres Mall is an indoor shopping mall located in South Valley Stream, New York, South Valley Stream, New York (state), New York, off Sunrise Highway in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County near the border of New York City and the Incorpo ...
.
It then continues southwards, soon reaching its confluence with
Valley Stream Brook Valley Stream Brook (more commonly known as Valley Stream) is a stream on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States.
Description
Valley Stream Brook runs between Franklin Square and Hook Creek, ultimately emptying into Jamaica ...
, just south of Rosedale Road.
From there, Hook Creek continues southwards through Hook Creek Park and hugging the edge of North Woodmere Park, thence passing under
Rockaway Turnpike and meandering its way around
Meadowmere and Meadowmere Park (where it passes underneath the
Hook Creek Bridge) near
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is a major international airport serving New York City and its metropolitan area. JFK Airport is located on the southwestern shore of Long Island, in Queens, New York City, bordering Jamaica Bay. It is ...
before eventually reaching its mouth at Jamaica Bay.
Portions of the long-proposed path of the
Nassau Expressway
Nassau may refer to:
Places Austria
* Nassau (Groß Sankt Florian), incorporated village of Groß Sankt Florian
Bahamas
*Nassau, The Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas
Canada
*Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upp ...
follow Hook Creek.
History
During the 20th century, a considerable amount of Hook Creek's wetlands were lost to development (including the construction of the adjacent John F. Kennedy International Airport), contributing to increased flooding in the surrounding areas during major storms.
The Queens side of the creek was also not connected to New York City's
sanitary sewer
A sanitary sewer is an underground pipe or tunnel system for transporting sewage from houses and commercial buildings (but not stormwater) to a sewage treatment plant or disposal.
Sanitary sewers are a type of gravity sewer and are part of ...
network until the early 21st century, leading to wastewater being released into the creek and causing environmental degradation.
Industrial pollution also negatively impacted the water quality and marine life within the water.
In the 21st century, New York City restored large sections of wetland, completing a $700,000 restoration project in Hook Creek Park in May 2023. The sections of Queens near the creek were ultimately hooked up to New York City's sanitary sewer system in 2010, allowing the wastewater to be treated instead of being dumped into the creek, and thus enabling the environmental quality of the creek and Jamaica Bay to be improved & restored.
The creek is the namesake of Hook Creek Boulevard.
[{{Cite web , last=Walsh , first=Kevin , date=2005-10-20 , title=ROSEDALE, Queens , url=https://forgotten-ny.com/2005/10/rosedale-queens/ , access-date=2024-05-14 , website=Forgotten New York , language=en-US]
See also
*
Geography of Long Island
Long Island is in southeastern New York (state), New York, United States, separated from the rest of the state by the East River and from Connecticut by Long Island Sound. Long Island contains four counties, of which the western two are The fi ...
*
Motts Creek (Nassau County, New York)
References
Bodies of water of Nassau County, New York
Rivers of New York City
Rivers of New York (state)