After a four-year stall, on Friday Morningside Park’s waterfall was back up and functioning.
Located near the entrance at West 113th Street and Manhattan Avenue, the waterfall feeds a pond that had undergone restoration in 2017 to address algae issues. However, in 2018 the waterfall stopped working when the water pumps used to sustain it burned out.
The issues were related to the low continuous flow of the waterfall and, as a result, the pond quickly became prone to algae blooms, which caused the water to become more murky.
The Falls at Morningside Park has historical meaning, as it is located on the site where Columbia University intended to build a contested gymnasium in the 1960s. However, student and community protests blocked the project.
The construction left a large crater in the park, which remained untouched until the 1980s, when Columbia University, in cooperation with the New York City Parks Department, developed the current pond and waterfall.
After the waterfall broke in 2018, efforts to restore it were delayed due to the widespread COVID-19 pandemic. Still, in the summer of 2023, community members gathered to petition for repair.
This renewed initiative led to an investigation by the Department of Parks and the Columbia School of Engineering and Applied Science to study the malfunction of the two water pumps and work on restoring the waterfall.
In January 2024, Columbia engineers discovered that the waterfall’s pumps had burned out, a problem that can result from a variety of factors, such as low water levels, blockages, or frequent cycling on and off.
As a result, a team of students and faculty from Columbia’s Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering was able to rehabilitate the existing pumps with a revamped control system; this innovative solution allowed the waterfall to return to operational status without bearing the high costs associated with a major replacement.
Brad Taylor, president of Friends of Morningside Park, commented enthusiastically on the waterfall restoration: “We’re thrilled that the waterfall has been lovingly and expertly restored, and we look forward to a continued partnership with Columbia and NYC Parks to ensure that our park stays healthy and green for years to come”.
