| High Tide 4:42am | Low Tide 11:06am | High Tide 4:55pm | Low Tide 11:57pm* |
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~ in debate ~
General Electric is proposing
to delay its commitment
to Phase 2 of the Hudson River
dredging project.
The State Dept. of Conservation and leading environmental groups are asking the EPA to
reject this proposal.
Read the story below.
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 Events on the Waterfront
Click links for more information.
For a full calendar of events visit
www.waterfrontalliance.org/calendar
| October 16
Competition: Ederle Swim
11:15a, North Cove, Battery Park City
Fishing: Go Fish
10a-2p, Wagner Park, Battery Park City
Tugboat Tour: Around Manhattan on the W.O. Decker
10a-2p, South Street Seaport Museum
October 19
Seminar: The Response of Fishes to Piers in the Lower Hudson River Estuary
10:30a, Hudson River Foundation, 17 Battery Place
Gala: Heroes of the Harbor
6p, the Lighthouse, Chelsea Piers
October 21
Workshop: NYC DOT Greenway-Waterfront
6:30p, Brooklyn Borough Hall
Workshop: Rockaway Community Planning
6:30p-8:30p, PS114/Belle Harbor School, 400 Beach, 135th Street
October 23
Fundraiser: Hudson River Park Five Mile Race
7:15a, Pier 84, 44th Street
Tugboat Tour: Newark Bay on the W.O. Decker
10a-2p, South Street Seaport Museum
October 24
Boat Tour: Newtown Creek
10:30a, 23rd Street and East River
October28
Meeting: Newtown Creek Brownfield Opportunity
6p-8:30p, St. Mary's Church, 10-08 49th Avenue, Long Island City
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MWA Blue Bulletin Board |
SAVE THE DATE!2010 Waterfront ConferenceThe Future Waterfront &
a Fair Share for the NY-NJ HarborTuesday, Nov. 30 · 8am to 8pm National Museum of the American Indian WHAT'S YOUR STORY?WaterWire wants to know about your organization. Pitch us a story idea! Write to Alison at asimko@waterfrontalliance.orgMWA EMAIL ADDRESSESOur waterwire.net addresses are no longer in service. All MWA emails end in waterfrontalliance.org.
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Join Our List
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| CONTENTS: Oct. 13, 2010 | The People of the Netherlands: Heroes of the Harbor
MWA salutes the Dutch for raising awareness of critical water issues, and more
Citizens Size Up the Draft Comprehensive Waterfront Plan
Read people's comments, and then send in your own by November 5
City Officials to Polluted Waterways: Help is on the Way!
Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner Holloway offer the Green Infrastructure Plan
Will General Electric Commit to Finishing Hudson River Dredging?
State DEC, NRDC and others are trying to make sure the answer is yes
Meet Some MWA Partners!
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GOING DUTCH: NYC CAN LEARN A LOT ABOUT
WATER MANAGEMENT FROM THE NETHERLANDS | |
 | The blue lines on this map show the Netherlands'
Delta Works -- a coordinated series of dams, locks,
dikes and storm surge barriers built in the last half
of the 20th century. The Delta Works were named
one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World by
the American Society of Civil Engineers. |
MWA Raises a Toast to the Netherlands:
Hero of
the Harbor
For more than 400 years, the Dutch people have exerted an exceptionally positive influence on this country, and on this region in particular.
New Yorkers were reminded of this throughout last year's celebration of the quadricentennial of the arrival in 1609 of Henry Hudson, who was under contract with the Dutch East India Company, to these shores. The year-long celebration culminated with the H209 Forum, a conference at Liberty Science Center that focused on water challenges facing cities in the 21st century.
"Last year was meant to raise awareness of 400 years of friendship and cooperation between the two countries -- shared values through our shared history," Gajus Scheltema, the Consul-General from the Netherlands to the United States, told WaterWire.
This year, the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance honors the people and government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands as Heroes of the Harbor, for raising awareness of critical water issues, fostering interest in our harbor, and helping forge a renewed and robust Dutch-American partnership through their support of the Hudson Fulton Champlain Quadricentennial Celebration. Mr. Scheltema will be accepting the honor on behalf of his country on October 19, at the MWA Gala at the Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers. Joining Mr. Scheltema as a Hero of the Harbor will be Joan K. Davidson, honored by the MWA for her unstinting efforts through the years as an environmentalist and philanthropist. (Tickets are still available! Click here for more information.)
In a conversation this week, Mr. Scheltema expressed pride in the Dutch arts showcased last year in museums and on stages throughout New York City and on Governors Island, and in the cutting-edge architecture exemplified in the New Amsterdam Plein & Pavilion that will open next spring near Battery Park. But the most important effect of the Quadricentennial celebration, he said, was the exchange of ideas about water management.
 For thousands of years, the Dutch have held back the water. "We have built up expertise in this," Mr. Scheltema said, pointing to the Delta Works (see the map above), an extensive series of dams, dikes and water barriers that took almost 50 years to construct. At right is an example of a Dutch storm surge barrier in action, courtesy of the Delta Works Online Foundation.
In the Consul-General's view, one of the most significant legacies of the H209 Forum was the collaboration between the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the City of Rotterdam, which possesses the largest port in all of Europe. "The Port Authority is concerned, for example, with the development of the Brooklyn waterfront," Mr. Scheltema said. "Rotterdam has expertise in development of the waterfront and the challenges you face when you want to re-employ old waterfront structures for new purposes -- recreational, housing, what have you."
"It is a two-way street, as far as we are concerned," Mr. Scheltema acknowledged. "One thing we'd like to learn from New York is your system of financing projects -- public/private partnerships that allow you to move forward because you are engaging private capital for new projects in a different way."
The top challenge facing coastal cities around the world, according to Mr. Scheltema and many experts, is climate change and rising sea levels. One fourth of Rotterdam is already below sea level. Mr. Scheltema's home in The Hague, in fact, is behind a row of dunes. "If a flood comes I will run toward the water, toward the dunes," he said with a laugh. (back to top)
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COMPREHENSIVE WATERFRONT PLAN NEARS CONCLUSION
| | Speakers at the Presentation of the Draft Plan Bring Up Environmental Justice, Jobs, Access and Equity
After months of outreach and public workshops, visits to waterfront sites throughout the five boroughs, and detailed analysis on topics such as zoning regulations, environmental issues and community needs, the Department of City Planning (DCP) has offered more than 400 recommendations in the draft of its Vision 2020: NYC Comprehensive Waterfront Plan (CWP). A public meeting was held on October 12 to discuss the draft and New Yorkers came out in full force to comment.
DCP Commissioner Amanda Burden and project director Michael Marrella (above) hosted the gathering. "We need to give as much attention to planning for the water as we have traditionally for the land," Ms. Burden told the crowd. "This will change the way New Yorkers live for years to come."
Eddie Bautista, Executive Director of the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance, was one of the first speakers to the microphone. He noted that Significant Maritime Industrial Areas (SMIAs) and their attendant pollution-causing businesses are clustered in communities of color. "We see this as a civil rights issue," he said.
Adam Liebowitz from The Point CDC, a community development organization in the South Bronx, said, "SMIAs get at the heart of what environmental justice stands for, which is not overburdening one community." Mr. Liebowitz also called for "stronger language and a true commitment" in the suggestions and ideas put forth in the draft CWP.
 Tameka Jones (right) from UPROSE in Sunset Park took the microphone, as well as the environmental justice torch. She asked for additions to the CWP such as adequate buffers between SMIAs and communities, a prohibition of open storage of chemicals at SMIAs, and better plans for coping with natural disasters at the waterfront.
Ed Humphries spoke about Staten Island's Lemon Creek Marina. He said commercial vessels leaving the Arthur Kill cause waves of silty water to flood and choke Lemon Creek's salt marsh. "We suggest a breakwater be put up," he told Ms. Burden.
Bonnie Harken from the American Planning Association's NY Metro chapter noted key areas where Vision 2020 could be strengthened, such as in the reorganization of vehicular uses near the waterfront, the designation of climate-sensitive waterfront zones, and the necessity of establishing funding mechanisms to maintain the waterfront.
Rob Buchanan from the NYC Water Trail Association had a number of suggestions, among them acknowledgement that the waterfront and the waterways are public, and moving stormwater issues "to the top of the list."
John Doswell of the North River Historic Ship Society and the Working Waterfront Committee wanted wording added to the CWP that reflected the fact that some historic sites float. He also suggested common permitting and insurance requirements for historic vessels.
Matthew Katz from Roosevelt Island said islanders need an alternative mode of transportation to get on and off the island -- and the obvious choice is ferries. Also, he said he was disappointed that the design for Four Freedoms Park, the island's waterfront tribute to Franklin D. Roosevelt which has just begun construction, has no plans for a marina or boathouse.
Captain Rich Naruszewicz, who steers a tanker in the harbor, sent word through Carolina Salguero, director of PortSide New York, that the City needs an emergency refueling plan for maritime vessels.
Ms. Salgeuro suggested the DCP commission a new study of shading in the marine environment and asked about dredging the 79th Street Boat Basin. She also suggested a more robust CWP section on short sea shipping, and she specifically urged that the Hudson River Park Trust be asked to prioritize waterborne transportation at Pier 40.
Rob Pirani of the Regional Plan Association was pleased that continuous waterfront greenways in every borough were part of the CWP. "It's a great way to knit waterfront spaces together," he said. He agreed with early speakers that the environmental justice issues of SMIAs should be addressed, but he also said these areas and the jobs they represent should be strengthened by zoning. Mr. Pirani said he loved the idea of calling the waterways "the sixth borough." "What about a borough president for this sixth borough?" he suggested.
Roland Lewis, president of the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, stepped up to the microphone and continued the conversation about SMIAs and environmental justice. "We want to retain SMIAs and their good-paying jobs," he said, while still calling for environmental justice. For ideas on environmental remediation or buffer zones, New York City should look to other cities, he said, such as Portland or Boston, where these issues have been dealt with successfully. "Equity should be the guiding light of this," he said.
Many other important points were made by these and other speakers. Soon, a recap of the meeting will be available on the DCP web site. If you would like to give input on the Comprehensive Waterfront Plan, you may submit comments online here. The deadline is 5pm on November 12. A final plan will be published by the end of 2010. (back to top)Photos by Ian Douglas.
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GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN TO CLEAN THE WATER AND GREEN THE CITY
| | Look for New Porous Pavement, Planted Roofs, Enlarged Tree Pits, Even Rain Barrels
Between bouts of intense rain that caused sewage overflows into city waters in mid September and early October, Dept. of Environmental Protection commissioner Cas Holloway and Mayor Michael Bloomberg got together on September 28 and announced a plan for new infrastructure -- some high tech, some quite simple -- that will help redirect and absorb stormwater runoff.
The result: cleaner water and lower water bills. Benefits will begin accruing almost immediately because some projects can happen quickly and relatively inexpensively. It gets even better in the long run: city officials predict sewer overflows reduced by 40% and sewer management costs reduced by $2.4 billion within 20 years.
 Here's a quick reminder of what stormwater runoff is: During a rainstorm, water falls on the city's impermeable surfaces -- roads, sidewalks, parking lots -- and runs off, sluicing into gutters, flowing along to storm drains and picking up garbage, dirt and oil on the way. Stormwater and wastewater are carried in the same underground pipes, so waste treatment plants fill up faster during a storm. When the plants hit capacity, the noxious mix of polluted runoff and untreated sewage is released directly into waterways.
Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) have long plagued the metro area, and the situation has steadily worsened. In recent years, nearly 30 billion gallons of sewage has been diverted annually from over-capacity pipes and treatment plants into the city's rivers, inlets, bays and harbor.
 | | An example of porous pavement, recently installed at Paerdegat Basin. |
It is an ugly, reeking sight. Click here for a video taken on September 16 by a couple of guys in Brooklyn who watched brown sludge surge down the Gowanus Canal as the skies cleared after a storm. The video can be found on Larry Levine's National Resources Defense Council blog. "This proposed plan is an important first step in making the city a cleaner, healthier place to live, while literally boosting the economy and cooling the planet," Mr. Levine, an attorney, commented.
The goal is to capture stormwater before it drains into the sewage system. In the City's plan, some impermeable surfaces will be replaced with porous pavement. New tree pits and streetside swales will soak up water before it runs into storm drains. Vegetation will sprout from rooftops, ready to absorb rain before it funnels into pipes and gutters. Rain barrels, an old-fashioned way to catch rain, will be reintroduced in some neighborhoods.
The City's press release mentioned the South Bronx, Flushing and northeastern and southeastern Queens, and the area around the Gowanus Canal as a few specific neighborhoods that will benefit from this new plan.
 Environmental groups have urged a switch to greener infrastructure for years. Joining Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner Holloway at the press conference were NRDC's Eric Goldstein, Hudson Riverkeeper Paul Gallay, and League of Conservation Voters President Marcia Bystryn. Click here to see what Riverkeeper has to say about the new NYC Green Infrastructure Plan. Click here to see how Riverkeeper has monitored the quality of the Hudson River. (back to top)
Left, an enhanced tree pit on Autumn Avenue in East New York helps to absorb rainwater. Photos courtesy of City Hall.
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| WILL GENERAL ELECTRIC FINISH THE HUDSON RIVER CLEAN-UP? | |  DEC, NRDC and Other Groups Charge General Electric
With Trying to Evade Responsibility
Concerned that General Electric will back away from finishing its clean-up of the Hudson River, officials from an array of groups, including the State Department of Environmental Conservation and the National Resources Defense Council, are calling upon the Environmental Protection Agency to not allow the company to extend its deadline to commit to Phase 2 of the clean-up, as it has proposed.
Some background: For about 30 years, roughly between 1940 and 1970, General Electric dumped millions of pounds of toxic polychlorinated biphenyls, aka PCBs, into the upper Hudson. Years of legal disputes over responsibility followed, and finally, in 2006, the company launched Phase 1 -- about 10% of the entire job -- of a clean-up of contaminated sediment. That was completed last fall, and Phase 2 -- the other 90% -- is supposed to begin next spring. GE, however, is trying to hold on to the right -- for one more year -- to opt-out of completing the job. The company suggests that it perform more dredging next year, but only to gather more scientific data to inform the decision about going forward with Phase 2. So far, GE has not committed to Phase 2.
Some of the recent message to the EPA are strongly worded. "There is no scientific, legal or policy basis for deferring GE's obligation," wrote DEC commissioner Pete Grannis to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. "An argument can always be made for more study, for more review, and for more time before a decision is made. In this case, however, the decades of study, the results from the first phase of dredging, and the successful completion of the peer review report, all argue for action."
"We are writing to urge the EPA to reject General Electric Company's (GE) recent request to delay yet again the generations-long struggle to restore the environmental and economic health of one of America's most loved rivers-the Hudson," wrote NRDC president Frances Beinecke, Hudson Riverkeeper Executive Director Paul Gallay, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater Executive Director Jeff Rumpf and Scenic Hudson president Ned Sullivan. "We strongly believe this is simply another effort by GE to disown full responsibility for its polluted legacy in the Hudson River Valley."
Even The New York Times chimed in. "The company will have to clean up its mess one way or another, so what advantage is there in another delay?" the paper asked in an editorial published October 1. "Unless the river is cleaned up, the PCBs will contaminate fish and water for years to come. This complex effort can be improved as necessary. But it must proceed. The Obama administration cannot let GE block the best hope for a clean river in our lifetime."
 | | A dredging crew member stands on the barge as the environmental clamshell bucket digs into the sediment in the Fort Edward, NY, Yacht Basin. Photo courtesy of GE. |
GE, of course, defends its request to delay Phase 2 of the clean-up. "GE has made a commitment to follow the recommendations of a panel of independent scientists who evaluated the project," wrote Ann Klee, the company's vice president for environmental programs, in a response to a blog post by NRDC's Larry Levine. To read more of GE's response, as well as see reports, newsletters, photos and videos about the project, click here to get to GE's special web site devoted to Hudson River dredging. (back to top)
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| MWA PARTNER SPOTLIGHT |
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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 Partners of the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance:
- City Parks Foundation
http://www.cityparksfoundation.org/
City Parks Foundation's (CPF) education department connects teachers, students and families to local parks by providing hands-on programs that meet specific community needs and public educational standards. We present classroom, after school and teacher-training programs in parks, schools and Recreation Centers across New York City. CPF uses parks as outdoor classrooms where students can learn core subjects and important life, critical-thinking and decision-making skills while discovering the natural world that exists right in their neighborhoods. Annually, our programs reach 6,000 students and community members and 600 teachers. - KingstonPaddlePals
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KingstonPaddlePals
A social network (yahoo group) of individuals from the Kingston, NY area who enjoy kayaking and would like to paddle with others for safety and the sharing of experience and information.
- Ray Fusco Inc.
http://www.rayfuscoinc.com
Event production, marine consulting services along with safety and logistics support for events in and around New York.
- Watershed Agricultural Council
http://www.nycwatershed.org/
WAC balances the economic viability of agriculture and forestry with protecting water quality. The organization advocates for natural resource conservation within the context of the working landscape and promotes comprehensive natural resource planning and best management practices, as well as the development of partnerships that serve to enhance its mission. WAC's vision for the future is to be a leader in conserving the agricultural and forestry landscape in the New York City Watershed region.
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| WATERFRONT NEWS LINKS |
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Governors Island draws record 443,000 visitorsNew York Post, October 13, 2010 Historically Speaking: Old Fulton Street Is New Again - Part IBrooklyn Daily Eagle, Oct. 13, 2010 241 Water Street up for grabs as Seaman's Institute leaves NYCThe Real Deal, Oct. 6, 2010 Decimated by years of pollution, oysters once again find home in Jamaica BayNew York Daily News, October 6, 2010 Recalling when elegance ruled the seasMiami Herald, October 3, 2010 Maloney Hails Newtown Creek Superfund Designation The Queens Gazette, September 29, 2010 US adds industrialized NYC creek to Superfund listBusiness Week, September 28, 2010 A Chance to Reshape Staten Island's WaterfrontStaten Island Real-Time News, September 27, 2010 Gov. Chris Christie pledges support for fixing Bayonne BridgeThe Jersey Journal, September 21, 2010 (back to top)
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