Filed Under: Environmental Issues | New York City | Water

New York HarborNew York Harbor For over 300 years, the New York Harbor Estuary has served as the major port for the entire eastern seaboard and economic center for New York and New Jersey. Situated in one of the busiest urban areas in the world, the Harbor has been heavily polluted over centuries of commercial shipping and industrial activity. Since the passage of the federal Clean Water Act in 1972, the Harbor has undergone significant water quality improvements. The expansion in secondary treatment of sewage, overall improved monitoring and control of industrial discharges, and abatement of illegal discharges over the past 30 years have marked a significant improvement in harbor water quality. This has stimulated a renewed use and enjoyment of the Harbor. Waterfront parks, promenades, and piers have been constructed and refurbished allowing the public greater access to the water. Public beaches are open more days of the year, affected less and less by water pollution. Ferry traffic has increased rapidly and continues to grow as a viable means of commuting. Aquatic species and birds have grown in numbers and diversity. Nevertheless, levels of toxic metals, organic chemicals (PCBs), and pathogens remain above established safe levels. According to the Army Corps of Engineers' NY and NJ Harbor Navigation Study, completed in summer 2000, a huge gap is projected between the current capacity of existing facilities and the cargo demands of the metropolitan region in 2060. To maintain the Harbor as a viable commercial port and to accommodate the depth requirements of modern cargo ships, any future expansion will necessitate dredging operations that are accompanied by immediate and long-term problems. The Port Authority of NY/NJ has been working with the Army Corps of Engineers to fund and implement projects in the harbor. Deepening projects are underway in the Kill Van Kull/Newark Bay, Arthur Kill and the Port Jersey Channel. There is a real scarcity of acceptable disposal sites for contaminated dredged material. The federal National Estuary Program (NEP) addresses issues of clean water standards compliance and best management practices for dredging and the disposal of dredged material. In 1987, EPA created the NY/NJ Harbor Estuary Program (HEP), part of NEP, to establish a comprehensive management plan for the harbor area. In April of 2004, the NY/NJ HEP and the Hudson River Foundation for Science and Environmental Research released a report showing that the environmental health of New York Harbor has improved as much as ten-fold in the past 30 years. The “State of the Estuary” report, the first comprehensive look at the environmental conditions of the estuary, examined trends by tracking key environmental indicators over time and across the harbor. The data analyzed were collected primarily by federal, state, and local agencies. Even with these improvements, significant environmental challenges remain. Combined sewer overflows still contribute raw sewage to waterways when it rains; some species of fish are in decline; advisories against eating fish and shellfish from the estuary remain in effect because of contaminants in their flesh; and some shellfish beds have remained closed for decades. In terms of toxic contaminants, the waters of Newark Bay and the Kills, separating Staten Island and New Jersey, are of special concern. Another component of the NY/NJ HEP, the Contamination Assessment and Reduction Project, is attempting to understand the fate and transport of contaminants discharged into the entire estuary and use this information to take necessary action. Other harbor-related efforts include beach renourishment in Jamaica Bay, an erosion and sand replacement project in the Coney Island area, and shore protection measures in Oakwood Beach-Fort Wadsworth areas of Staten Island. In addition, the NYC Economic Development Corporation is devising a Comprehensive Port Improvement Plan (CPIP). This on-going program is studying options for port expansion and its environmental impacts through 2060. Among the environmental issues under review are: sediment contamination, public access, air quality and opportunities for habitat preservation.