City officials expressed disappointment over the E.P.A. decision but struck a conciliatory tone and pledged to cooperate with the cleansing of the Gowanus.

“It’s disappointing,” said the spokesman, Marc LaVorgna. “We had an innovative and comprehensive approach that was a faster route to a Superfund-level cleanup and would have avoided the issues associated with a Superfund listing.”

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S.W.I.M. Public Meeting: March 11, 2010 – 3pm to 5pm

By kate_zidar | February 26, 2010

Agenda:
(3-4pm Full SWIM Membership)
-SWIM Workplan 2010 – an overview of our goals this year!

(4-5pm Full SWIM Membership and agency partners welcome)
-Minds in the Gutter – jury update and exhibit information
-Feedback from the DEP Community Meetings on WATER RATES
- Guest Speaker: Morton Orentlicher who will present an update from the Nutrient Work Group of HEP

Location:
Pratt Manhattan, room 213
144 W 14th St
New York, NY 10011

You –>must<-- RSVP to enter the building at PRATT. Please RSVP by
replying to this email no later than March 9. Bring ID to show at the
security desk! Email us at swimmablenyc@gmail.com to RSVP.

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New York City Commits to Major Water Quality Improvements in Jamaica Bay

By kate_zidar | February 25, 2010

…from our colleagues at NRDC, NY/NJ Baykeeper, Jamaica Bay Eco Watchers, and the American Littoral Society…

Mayor, City Vow to Make Sewage Plant Upgrades, Marsh Restoration in Response to Calls from Environmental Groups

NEW YORK, N.Y. (February 25, 2010) – Mayor Bloomberg, the City Department of Environmental Protection, the State Department of Environmental Conservation, and four environmental groups today announced an agreement-in-principle to significantly improve the health of Jamaica Bay through major sewage treatment plant upgrades and investments in marsh restoration.

“Today marks a new beginning for Jamaica Bay – an amazing recreational and economic resource for New Yorkers,” said Lawrence Levine, staff attorney for the NRDC. “The city has committed to address the biggest source of pollution that has plagued Jamaica Bay for decades. We look forward to continuing to work with Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner Holloway to turn today’s historic commitments into reality.”

This announcement follows months of intensive negotiations among the city, state, and environmental groups represented by the Natural Resources Defense Council as legal counsel-including Jamaica Bay Eco Watchers, American Littoral Society and NY/NJ Baykeeper-over alleged permit violations at four city sewage treatment plants, which currently discharge levels of nitrogen pollution into Jamaica Bay that are among the highest in the world.

Today’s announcement is a critical milestone in the effort to restore the Bay. The groups will continue over the next several months to work with the city and state to finalize the agreement, in a way that ensures long-term implementation of a 10-year water quality improvement plan and can help secure federal funding to back up the city’s efforts.

Specifically, the agreement-in-principle announced today includes commitments from the city to:

· Upgrade four sewage treatment plants to drastically reduce nitrogen discharges to the bay, on a schedule running through 2020
· Spend at least $15 million on marsh restoration over the next five years, which could leverage nearly $30 million in additional federal funding through the Corps of Engineers
· Resolve a long-running dispute over the city’s Clean Water Act permits by agreeing to new, stricter permit terms that will lock in the treatment plant upgrades, and the resulting water quality improvements, into the future
· Improve water quality monitoring in the bay, which may include using new equipment to provide continuous, real-time information on conditions in the bay.

Nitrogen discharges from the sewage treatment plants are the biggest cause of the severe water quality problems in Jamaica Bay. The plants discharge nearly 40,000 pounds of nitrogen into the bay daily, which cause harmful algae blooms that frequently render portions of the bay inhospitable to marine life and unusable for people. There is also mounting evidence that elevated nitrogen levels contribute to the rapid and accelerating loss of the bay’s signature marshlands, which provide not only invaluable wildlife habitat but also shoreline erosion control and a protective flood barrier to the neighborhoods ringing the bay.

Jamaica Bay is considered the crown jewel of the city’s ecological resources, with more than 25,000 acres of water, marsh, meadowland, beaches, dunes and forests in Brooklyn and Queens, all accessible by subway. It contains a federal wildlife refuge the size of 10 Central Parks, a portion of Gateway National Recreation Area, Bayswater State Park and nearly a dozen city parks. It provides a nursery for the region’s marine life, including valuable recreational fisheries like summer flounder, and a critical bird habitat area that is visited by nearly 20 percent of North America’s bird species annually. It is also home to various endangered and threatened species – from sea turtles to peregrine falcons. More than a half million New Yorkers live in the Jamaica Bay watershed/sewershed, and the bay is a popular fishing and boating area.

“We applaud Mayor Bloomberg and the new DEP commissioner Holloway for their good faith effort in finding solutions that work for Jamaica Bay,” said Deborah Mans, Baykeeper and Executive Director of NY/NJ Baykeeper. “Based on very productive negotiations with both the Mayor’s office and the DEP Commissioner, we feel confident that we can finalize our preliminary agreement and secure lasting commitments to measures that will improve and save the precious waterways of New York City and its citizens, especially those affected by pollution in Jamaica Bay.”

“The Jamaica Bay Eco Watchers are pleased to support this agreement which will go a long way to assure the future health of the bay. Jamaica Bay is a unique environmental jewel and the largest natural resource of our city,” said Dan Mundy of the Jamaica Bay Eco Watchers. “The heavy nitrogen loading from these four plants have long been identified as the primary causes contributing to low dissolved oxygen problems, harmful algae blooms and saltwater marsh loss. The upgrades to the wastewater treatment plants that this agreement will require will ensure significant nitrogen loading reductions are achieved at this critical juncture in the future of Jamaica Bay. In addition the funds allocated to the saltwater marsh restoration will help in recreating critical habitat that has been lost.”

“This agreement holds great promise to bring cleaner water to Jamaica Bay,” said Don Riepe, Director of American Littoral Society, Northeast Chapter. “We are encouraged by our discussions over the last several months and the work we’ve been able to do with the city towards cleaning up serious sources of pollution.”

Questions?
Kate Slusark, NRDC, 212-727-4592
Deborah Mans, NY/NJ Baykeeper, 732.888.9870
Dan Mundy, Jamaica Bay Eco Watchers, 718-634-5032
Don Riepe, American Littoral Society, 718-634-6467

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DEP Community Meetings on WATER RATES

By kate_zidar | February 15, 2010

DEP Community Meetings

“The Department of Environmental Protection is coming to your community. Over the next month, along with your community leaders, DEP will be holding community meetings in each of the five boroughs to discuss water rates, new services, and what the future holds for DEP’s customers.”

All meetings start at 7:00 pm, doors open at 6:00 pm.

Queens
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Majority Baptist Church
115-21 Farmers Boulevard
St. Albans, NY 11412

Bronx
Thursday February 18, 2010
Hutchinson Metro Center
1200 Waters Place, South Lobby Entrance
(between Eastchester Road and Westchester Ave)
Bronx, NY 10461

Brooklyn
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
I.S. 303
501 West Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11224

Staten Island
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Bernikow Jewish Community Center
Social Hall and Media Room
1466 Manor Road
(between Brielle and Rockland Avenues,
adjacent to Susan Wagner High School)
Staten Island, NY 10314

Manhattan
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Isabella Geriatric Center
515 Audubon Avenue (at 190th Street)
New York, NY 10040

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MINDS IN THE GUTTER call for submissions seeks stormwater designs!

By kate_zidar | January 7, 2010

MINDS IN THE GUTTER call for submissions seeks designs for stormwater management in the public right-of-way for juried exhibition and resource guide.

Minds in the Gutter – a project of the Stormwater Infrastructure Matters (SWIM) Coalition, NYC Environmental Fund and North Brooklyn Compost Project – is currently accepting submissions for innovative design solutions that manage runoff from roadways within the public right of way (that’s public space, streets and sidewalks).

Submissions must be received before 5pm on February 15, 2010.

Details for submitting your project can be found online at www.mindsinthegutter.org.

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SWIM Public Meeting: January 14, 2010, 2-4pm

By kate_zidar | January 5, 2010

Come kick off the new decade by supporting the urban watershed with SWIM Coalition!

January 14, 2009
2pm – 4pm
NYC Soil and Water Conservation District
121 Sixth Avenue, Conference Room
New York, NY 10013

Agenda:
- Presentation by Michael Heimbinder of HabitatMap, an “environmental health justice organization that leverages community knowledge to achieve just and sustainable urban places.”
- 2010 Goals and Workplan
- Minds in the Gutter call for submissions
- Update on the Long Term Control Plans

Planning to attend? Let us know at swimmablenyc@gmail.com!

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Grant Announcement: Flushing-Gowanus Initiative

By raissa_dally | November 30, 2009

Flushing Bay and Gowanus Canal Watershed Initiative

Stormwater Best Management Practices and Low Impact Development Grant Program

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is soliciting stormwater best management practice (BMP) and low impact development (LID) proposals for the Gowanus Canal and Flushing Bay watersheds. This project was undertaken in connection with the settlement of an enforcement action taken by New York State and DEC for violations of New York State law and DEC regulations.

DEP will award several grants to projects that help to remove stormwater from the combined sewer system and treat urban stormwater runoff prior to being discharged into local waterways. Examples of methods of achieving this include the following:
• Improving stormwater runoff quality by directly removing
pollutants.
• Improving stormwater quality through soil or other media
• Increasing retention time to allow for greater soil
infiltration
• Improving or adding retention capacity
• Improving or adding detention capacity
• Reducing Combined Sewer Overflow volumes and floatable debris
from stormwater runoff.

A total of $2,900,000 will be available for potential projects. DEP plans to award $1,450,000 for projects within the Gowanus Canal watershed and $1,450,000 within the Flushing Bay watershed. The breakdown of grant awards is expected to be:
• Up to five $20,000 grants for each watershed and
• Up to three $450,000 grants for each watershed.

While the work must be completed within these watersheds, individuals, community and environmental groups, universities and other organizations that are not based in the Gowanus or Flushing watersheds are still encouraged to apply. The start of the application process is expected to begin in late Fall 2009 with a period of proposal development of approximately two months. Additional information regarding the program will be available in Fall 2009 on this page.

More info: http://tinyurl.com/yhhkkdy

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New DEP Commissioner: Caswell F. Holloway

By raissa_dally | November 30, 2009

OR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PR- 513-09
November 30, 2009

MAYOR BLOOMBERG APPOINTS CASWELL F. HOLLOWAY AS COMMISSIONER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today appointed Caswell F. Holloway as Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection. Holloway currently serves as Chief of Staff to Deputy Mayor for Operations Edward Skyler and as Special Advisor to Mayor Bloomberg. Since 2006, he has been tasked with spearheading solutions to some of the City’s most complex issues. For instance, he took a leading role in the writing and implementation of the Administration’s report on the health impacts of September 11th and led negotiations on 9/11 health legislation that has been introduced in both houses of Congress. Following the tragic fire at 130 Liberty Street, he led a comprehensive review of abatement and demolition operations that resulted in a recently completed overhaul of the asbestos abatement process. He also played a lead role in developing the City’s comprehensive cleanup plan for the Gowanus Canal, and in the passage and implementation of the City’s new Solid Waste Management Plan. He will replace Acting Commissioner Steven Lawitts, who has served as Acting Commissioner since the departure of Commissioner Emily Lloyd last October. The Mayor announced the appointment in the Blue Room of City Hall, where he was joined by Deputy Mayor Skyler. Commissioner Holloway will begin work at the Department of Environmental Protection in January.

Please follow this link for the rest of the press release:

http://tinyurl.com/yl63jqd

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