Thursday, February 25, 2010

Bloomberg Commits to Water Quality Improvements In Jamaica Bay

It's about time.

The city put out a press release today with some vague details on the new Jamaica Bay water quality improvement plan. While this is a step in the right direction I know I personally would have liked to see more details in the plan. However there is a substantial amount of money being moved into Jamaica Bay wetland restoration which as an avid birder always gets a thumbs up.

The release ran with this opening statement:

"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."



Some details of the planned improvements include the following:

  • 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, in to the future
  • Improve water quality monitoring in the bay, which may include using new equipment to provide continuous, rel-time information on conditions in the bay
Jamaica Bay is an incredibly unique and interesting natural attraction. Dozens of interesting bird species migrate through the wetlands of this Bay every year. A snowy owl has even been spotted moving through the area four years ago (my crew made that sighting, it was awesome). I've also heard there is good fishing here, although I'm not sure if there are any special restrictions on fishing in or around the bay.

All and all I'm happy to see the city put something on paper saying they will address the long ignored degradation of the bay. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come for the water quality of the entire region.

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