The 25,000 acres of marsh, meadows, woods and beaches that make up Jamaica Bay, one of New York City's richest ecosystems, have a healthier, cleaner future thanks to a $115 million commitment from the City to upgrade nearby sewage treatment facilities and restore marshland.

The February 25 announcement by Mayor Bloomberg, City DEP Commissioner Cas Holloway, State DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis and Natural Resources Defense Council Executive Director Peter Lehner detailed $100 million worth of new technologies to be installed at four wastewater treatment plants that will cut almost in half the 40,000 pounds of nitrogen discharged daily into Jamaica Bay. High levels of nitrogen lead to reduced levels of oxygen and excessive algae growth in waterways, and contribute to the increasing erosion of Jamaica Bay marshland.

The DEC will exempt the City from $45 million in potential penalties for delays in nitrogen upgrades at other wastewater treatment plants as it focuses work on Jamaica Bay. Fifteen million more is being set aside by the City for  marshland restoration projects. The Mayor said this investment can be leveraged further by applying for Federal matching funds, netting an additional $30 million for Jamaica Bay.

Standing with the city and state officials at the announcement were Dan Mundy, president of Jamaica Bay Eco-Watchers, Don Riepe, director of the northeast chapter of the American Littoral Society and Debbie Mans, executive director of the NY/NJ Baykeeper, who had helped negotiate the agreement. City Council Environmental Protection Committee Chair James F. Gennaro and Major Mike Clancy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also attended. (back to top)

Photos of Jamaica Bay courtesy of the NYC DEP web site

The ship's relatively light weight helped make its great speed possible. Renowned American naval architect William Francis Gibbs had designed the frame and interior surfaces of the United States to be built with aluminum instead of wood, and no wood was used for accessories or decorations.

Since 1969, the United States has had several different owners who hoped to return the ship to service but financing was always an issue. In 1999, the ship was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but the designation did not come with the hundreds of thousands of dollars needed for annual upkeep. Today the United States gathers rust in a Philadelphia shipyard, scrapping companies circling hungrily. Owner Genting Hong Kong, through its subsidiary Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), put the vessel up for sale in February 2009 and is now reportedly accepting bids from scrap merchants.

Save Our Ship is the name of the national fundraising and awareness campaign launched by the SS United States Conservancy. A New York reception and screening of the documentary, "SS United States: Lady in Waiting," sponsored by the Conservancy and the Fort Schuyler Maritime Alumni Association, is scheduled for March 11, 7pm to 10pm, at the National Academy at Fifth Avenue and 89th Street. Tickets are $25 and may be reserved at www.SSUnitedStatesConservancy.org.

"The Conservancy understands that Genting and NCL are reluctant to continue covering the significant costs associated with maintaining the vessel in its current berth in Philadelphia and appreciates the good care the vessel has received since being purchased by NCL in 2003 with the stated intentions of returning the ship to seagoing service," reads part of a statement from the Conservancy. "The Conservancy has begun discussions with NCL with the intent of covering some of the fees associated with maintaining the ship in Philadelphia as it finalizes plans for repurposing the ship as a stationary attraction on a large metropolitan waterfront."

That metropolitan waterfront could be New York City. Click here to read about a pitch to bring the SS United States to the Hudson River. (back to top)

Representatives from community waterfront centers in the tri-state region are grabbing their brown bags and meeting for lunch this Friday, March 5, 10am to 1pm, at SUNY Maritime College. The meeting is co-hosted by the SUNY Maritime College and the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance. Rob Crafa, director of waterfront programs for SUNY Maritime College sees the meeting as an opportunity to gather organizations with the common goal of water-related programming. "The energy of these meetings and the power of the networking is amazing," he said. At the last meeting a few years ago, tall ship representatives found new places to dock, groups arranged to share kayaks and organizations helped each other with personnel needs. "If you're in your own little world, you might not know that someone has already had a problem that you're facing and solved it," Mr. Crafa said.

All are welcome to this Regional Community Waterfront Center Brown Bag Lunch. Click here to RSVP. For directions to the college, which is at 6 Pennyfield Avenue, Throggs Neck, click here. (back to top)

On March 2, the Environmental Protection Agency added the 1.8 mile Gowanus Canal to its Superfund National Priorities List. For 150 years, the Canal has been polluted by factories that line its shores, and more recently by combined sewer overflows and dirty stormwater run-off.

Seeking to avoid the stigma of a Superfund designation, the Bloomberg Administration had countered the EPA's proposal last year with its own plan to clean up the contamination and redevelop its shores. Riverkeeper, which recently sued some of the businesses that were dumping garbage into the Canal, sided with the EPA's plan to lead the clean-up, as did other organizations. On March 2, 2010, Riverkeeper released a statement that included this quote from Josh Verleun, its attorney and chief investigator: "After 150 years of abuse and neglect the Gowanus Canal will finally get the comprehensive cleanup that the residents of the area deserve. The toxic legacy of coal tar, PCBs, pesticides, and other contamination of the Gowanus can only be cleaned through a comprehensive Superfund cleanup; we are gratified to see the EPA stepping up to this task."

According to The New York Times, "EPA estimated that the federal cleanup would last 10 to 12 years and cost $300 million to $500 million."
This photo of the Gowanus Canal is owned by Riverkeeper.

A public information meeting sponsored by the EPA will take place Thursday, March 4, 7pm-9pm at P.S. 58 (330 Smith Street in Brooklyn). Those who need more information may contact Natalie Loney, the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator at 212-637-3639 or loney.natalie@epa.gov. (back to top)

More than 400 Partners strong, and expanding every week, the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance is more than a coalition; it's a force. We are ferry captains, shipping executives, park directors, scientists, sailors, paddlers, swimmers, teachers, urban planners, architects and more. Together, we advocate for the best possible waterfront in the best possible city, a waterfront that is clean and accessible to all, with a robust maritime workforce and efficient, affordable waterborne transportation. Join us! Contact Louis Kleinman at lkleinman@waterfrontalliance.org.

Meet some MWA Partners:

Dolphin spotted in Brooklyn's polluted Newtown Creek
NY Daily News, March 4, 2010

Council Increases Penalty for Dumping
Gotham Gazette, March 4, 2010

The Gowanus, in All Its Gooey Glory
The New York Times, March 4, 2010

A Park for Mr. Green
The New York Times, March 2, 2010

Trial ferry program sinks under costs
The Queens Courier, March 2, 2010

Mill Pond Park in the Bronx Named Feb Park Of The Month
Broadway World, February 24, 2010

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