East River Waterfalls Damaging Greenery

New York, NY —

The four man-made waterfalls along the East River are having an unexpected impact on the environment--they're turning nearby grass and trees brown.

Salty mist from the waterfalls is damaging vegetation at the Brooklyn Promenade, on Governors Island and in Empire Ferry State Park, just north of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Rachel Gordon of the state Parks Department says that's not a good thing.

GORDON: Spray comes onto our park, which quite frankly on a very hot day is lovely for people but not so great for the trees and the grass.

REPORTER: The Public Art Fund, which sponsored the waterfall project, is dispatching crews each morning to wash the canopies and roots of nearby trees and plants. The group says the damage won't be permanent--the greenery should be fine after the waterfalls are dismantled in February.