Filed Under: Environmental Issues | New York City | Water | Water

NYC Water

New York City's small bays and inlets - including Flushing Bay, Jamaica Bay, and Raritan Bay - are hit hard by pollution because of poor water circulation. Pollutants include PCB-laden leachate and heavy metals that ooze into the bay from the closed Pennsylvania Landfill in nearby Brooklyn. Raritan Bay, which separates Staten Island from New Jersey, suffers from the influx of untreated sewage from both New York and New Jersey, as well the after-effects of 50-plus years of heavy industrial pollution along the Raritan River upstream. In addition, many underused and degraded urban tributaries across New York City have fallen into regulatory limbo and have not received appropriate attention at the state, city or borough level.
The Bronx River and Westchester Creek in The Bronx, Newtown Creek in Brooklyn and Queens, and Coney Island Creek and the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, are all tributaries that need cleanup and revitalization.

Sometimes, simple improvements can bring big changes. For example, the Bronx River Alliance, building on the work of the Bronx River Restoration Project, was formed in 2001 to protect, improve and restore the river corridor so that it would become a healthy, ecological, recreational, educational and economic resource for the communities through which the river flows. In 2003, city councilmembers, along with advocacy groups, formed the Newton Creek Alliance. The Newtown Creek Alliance has begun devising ways to curtail pollution in that body of water. Community groups and others are working together to turn the infamously pungent industrial waterway into a recreational destination. In January 2004, advocacy group Riverkeeper initiated a citizen suit against ExxonMobil. Chevron Texaco, and other oil companies for continuing to violate the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Riverkeeper’s aim is to accelerate spill remediation, ensure that the aquifer and its soils are restored, prevent oil from entering Newtown Creek and to protect the health and welfare of New Yorkers.

To address attention to these neglected bays and tributaries, the City DEP began the Use and Standards Attainment Project in 1999 to classify the uses and water quality standards for NYC open water areas and urban tributaries. Using innovative technology and watershed management techniques, the project has identified those water bodies that need to be upgraded to standards for their best and appropriate use, e.g. fish passage, fishing, swimming, etc. Pilot studies were initiated in the Bronx River and Paerdegat Basin in the Jamaica Bay area. The project has identified a total of 26 planning areas in NYC: nine open-water project areas and 17 urban tributary projects. Each one’s physical, biological and chemical characteristics will be assessed to develop a final plan for the water’s future.

Additional water quality programs include the NYC Waterfront Revitalization Program, part of the NYS Department of State's Division of Coastal Resources Coastal Zone Management Program. The program addresses critical coastal planning issues such as waterfront redevelopment, harbor management and habitat restoration. The Division has more than 40 active projects totaling over $7 million through the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) and Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act. In January 2004, $2.2 million in EPF grants were awarded for 11 local waterfront revitalization projects to expand recreational areas, protect natural resources and to redevelop former commercial properties in the City. Also, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is heading up ecosystem restoration programs for New York City's area waters including the harbor, the Bronx River Basin and Orchard Beach, Flushing Bay, and Jamaica Bay.

Citizen Participation
Many of the programs listed above include opportunities for public participation - especially by local residents. Several programs have Citizen Advisory Committees (CACs), working groups that incorporate community input continuously as part of the planning process. An example of this is the Water Quality Coordinating Committee (WQCC) of the NYC Soil & Water Conservation District. The NYC Soil & Water Conservation District helps to improve water quality, prevent soil erosion and sediment damage, to control and abate non-point sources of water pollution, to enhance natural resources, to protect public lands, and to promote the health, safety, and general welfare of New York City.

Parties Involved:
Government: Federal: Environmental Protection Agency, Army Corps of Engineers, U.S Coast Guard, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey; State: Department of Environmental Conservation, Department of State, New York Sea Grant; Regional: Long Island Sound Task Force, Interstate Sanitation Commission, Port Authority of NY/NJ; City: Department of Environmental Protection, Parks & Recreation, NYC Soil & Water District.
Advocates: American Littoral Society, Bronx River Alliance, Friends of Spuyten Duyvil, Hudson River Environmental Society (Altamont), Riverkeeper, Soundkeeper, Natural Resources Defense Council, Newtown Creek Alliance, New York-New Jersey Baykeeper, Environmental Defense, Clearwater, Scenic Hudson, Save the Sound (South Norwalk, Ct.), Friends of the Bay, Hudson River Foundation.