Wednesday • September 23 • 6:30 PM
Restoring the Water Quality in the Estuary
When Henry Hudson arrived in New York harbor 400 years ago, he found a pristine marine ecosystem, but centuries of industrial activity have taken a toll on the Hudson River estuary. Join Andrew Juhl, Doherty Associate Research Scientist, Columbia University, and Alex Matthiessen, Hudson Riverkeeper and President of Riverkeeper, in a discussion moderated by Walter Mugden, Director, Division of Environmental Planning & Protection, EPA Region 2, on the progress that has been made on the water quality of the Hudson estuary and the challenges that still exist. Presented in conjunction with Mannahatta/Manhattan: A Natural History of New York City.
Reservations required. $6 Museum members; $8 seniors and students; $12 non-members.
For tickets, call 212.534.1672, ext. 3395 or visit www.mcny.org/public-programs/
Museum of the City of New York
1220 Fifth Avenue at 104th Street
www.mcny.org
UPCOMING EVENT: “Restoring the Water Quality in the Estuary”
ARTICLE: “Comptroller Assails Officials on Cost of Bronx Water Plant”
FYI, this 1 September 2009 NY Times articles explores the rising costs of DEPs big-budget projects. The project in question is the underground Croton Water Filtration Plant in Van Cortlandt Park, which will filter the Croton watershed in Westchester County. DEPs mysterious costs reminds me of the increased total of $26 million for floatables control in the 2009 Bronx River Waterbody/Watershed Facility Plan. The link and article are below:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/02/science/earth/02water.html
Comptroller Assails Officials on Cost of Bronx Water Plant
William C. Thompson Jr., the New York City comptroller and mayoral candidate, said on Tuesday that officials in the city’s Department of Environmental Protection “misled the public” about a Bronx water filtration plant that is expected to cost more than double the initial estimate.
At a news conference, Mr. Thompson released two audits by his office that he said revealed flaws in the agency’s estimates for the project, from calculation errors to figures based on incomplete designs. He stopped short of accusing the agency of deliberately distorting the costs but said that officials had done “an incredibly poor job” with their calculations.
In 2003, the Department of Environmental Protection, which is overseeing the project, the Croton Water Filtration Plant, estimated its cost at $992 million. Construction began the following year. By 2007, city budget officials had determined the plant would cost $2.8 billion.
Mr. Thompson said the city also faced nearly $15 million in penalties for missing construction deadlines set in a 1998 consent decree with the state and federal governments in which the city, after receiving a previous extension, agreed to complete the plant by October 2011. It is now expected to be finished in spring 2012.
“What we discovered is an embarrassment,” Mr. Thompson said. “All this involves your money, taxpayers’ money.”
The plant, being built below ground in Van Cortlandt Park, will filter water from the Croton watershed in Westchester County, which serves parts of the Bronx and Manhattan. In 1997, the federal Environmental Protection Agency said the watershed did not meet its standards for purity; it initiated legal action to force the city to build the plant.
Steven W. Lawitts, the acting commissioner of the city’s Department of Environmental Protection, said that the initial estimates had been based on “a conceptual design” and that the cost escalated mostly because of high inflation during the boom years in the construction business.
“The comptroller is fixating on something that was used for planning purposes and to compare alternative sites,” he said.
Mr. Lawitts said the delays and overruns would have only a “marginal” impact on water rates. He attributed the delays to “issues” with the low bidder of the main construction contract, who eventually withdrew.
But Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz of the Bronx, who long opposed building the plant underground in the Bronx and favored a site aboveground on land the city owns in Westchester, said inflation could not account for the gap between the estimates and the actual cost. He called it a result of “incompetence plus lies.”
“This project is the biggest boondoggle in the history of New York City, and we have plenty of boondoggles in New York City,” he said. “They just aren’t up to the job of running a project like this, and the comptroller’s audits demonstrate that.”
City of Water Day!
A FREE day of entertainment, education & adventure for the whole family
celebrating the potential of our waterfront!
On July 18th thousands from the Tri-State region will float, ferry, paddle, row, splash, canoe, and kayak
their way to beautiful Governors Island for the 2nd Annual City of Water Day Festival.
From the upper Hudson to Raritan Bay, we are a City of Water—yet too many of us are cut off
from this tremendous resource. Help us revitalize the waterfront with a festival for the entire family.
- Hundreds of kayakers, canoers, and sailors converging on the island from launch points throughout the region
- Fun and FREE boat tours on historic and educational vessels—including bird-watching eco tours and tours of the working harbor***
- Delicious food from the city’s best local vendors
- An exciting line-up of local bands
- Special children’s activities, like the fishing, arts and crafts, rides, and a Kids Race sponsored New York Road Runners
- The Waterfront Action Fair, where you can learn how to do your part for the waterfront
***Space for on-water activities is limited. Visit www.cityofwaterday.org to make a reservation.
Free ferry service to City of Water Day is available all day long from the Battery Maritime Building and the Fulton Ferry Landing. Or reserve a seat on the special City of Water Day Ferry from Hoboken. Go to www.cityofwaterday.org for all the info.
The 2009 City of Water Day Festival is presented in collaboration with NYC Department of Parks & Recreation, Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation and Governors Island Alliance. Our sponsors include: Con Edison, Metro Energy, WNYC, WABC-TV, Earth Matter NYC, NYC H2O, Bimmy’s “Food Made With Love”, REI, and many more!
Green Infrastructure Highlighted in State Open Space Plan
The state Environmental Conservation and Parks Departments recently released the “New York State 2009 Open Space Conservation Plan.” (http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/47990.html) It includes not only priorities for land aquisition/conservation (including in NYC — see Part V), but also an “action agenda” that includes sections on green infrastructure and other urban greening/waterfront access issues (see Part III).
SWIM is pleased to report that the green infrastructure discussion includes a reference to Riverkeeper’s “Sustainable Raindrops” report and also cites NYC’s Local Law 5 (which SWIM was instrumental in passing) as a potential statewide model. The plan also expresses the state’s intent to “develop a comprehensive green infrastructure program including technical assistance and web-based resources to local governments, state agencies and commercial nurseries and private citizens.”
