| Low Tide 2:54am | High Tide 9:03am | Low Tide 3:01pm | High Tide 9:20pm* |
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For a map of vessels navigating the NY/NJ waterways at this moment, check marinetraffic.com.
Tide times above are for the waters off Coney Island on March 23, 2012. For your waterfront's daily tides, go to saltwatertides.com.
For information about environmental conditions (currents, water temperature, salinity, wave height, etc.) of the New York Harbor area, check the Urban Ocean Observatory at Stevens Institute's Center for Maritime Systems
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Events on the Waterfront
Click on the links for more
information about these events.
A detailed calendar of events
may be found at www.waterfrontalliance.org/calendar |
March 29
Barretto Point Park Eco Dock Information Meeting
6p, The Point CDC, 940 Garrison Avenue, Bronx
Working Harbor Committee Annual Gala
6p, India House Club, One Hanover Square
Jamaica Bay CSO Waterbody/Watershed Plan Public Meeting
6:30p, Kings Plaza Community Room, 5100 Kings Plaza (Flatbush Avenue and Avenue V), Brooklyn
April 1
Harlem River Community Rowing Bow Ball
4p-7p, Manchester Pub, 920 Second Avenue
Old Croton Aquaduct Bike Tour
1p
April 4
Jamaica Bay Task Force Public Meeting
6:30p, National Park Service Jamaica Bay Wildlife Visitor Center, Cross Bay Blvd., Broad Channel
April 9
East River Blueway Project a Community Meeting
6:30p,
Baruch College Library Building, 151 East 25th Street, Room 750
February 28
Celebration: Bronx River Winter Assembly
6p, Rocking the Boat, 812 Edgewater Road, Bronx
March 8
Benefit: Harbor School
6:30p-9p, New York Yacht Club, 37 W. 44th St.
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| CONTENTS: March 23, 2012 | City and State Ink Groundbreaking Water Management Agreement
Nationwide implications
City Council hearing offers an opportunity to assess
MWA 2012 Waterfront Conference Approaches
Register now!
Everybody does! Come to this meeting and find out the details
Revisions Coming to the Waterfront Revitalization Program
Time for another round of public comment
No Job Too Huge or Heavy for this Ship
M/V Tracer passes NYC on her way to Albany
Meet Some MWA Partners!
Newslinks
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GROUNDBREAKING GOVERNMENT AGREEMENT
| | City's Green Infrastructure Plan is Accepted by State
Paradigm shifting. A radical re-visioning for New York City. These superlatives -- two phrases among many similar reactions around the City last week -- are describing the announcement that the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation is modifying its agreement with the NYC Department of Environmental Protection to allow the use of green infrastructure to meet federal water quality standards.
Embracing the city's innovative environmental approach that prioritizes "green" infrastructure, such as stretches of porous pavement that absorbs stormwater before it drains into the sewer system, over traditional "gray" infrastructure, such as storage tunnels or holding tanks, the state's codification of the NYC Green Infrastructure Plan has far-reaching and long-lasting effects, as Natural Resources Defense Council executive director Peter Lehner writes in his blog post: "Instead of viewing stormwater as waste, New York is turning it into a resource. With this move, New York is showing the rest of the country that if the largest city in the U.S. can finally tackle its chronic water pollution problems with green infrastructure--they can, too."
What's more, the agreement saves billions of dollars. The state has agreed to defer decisions on the need for significant gray infrastructure until the City completes green infrastructure projects; and going forward, a combination of traditional and green infrastructure will be used to reduce combined sewer overflows (CSOs). The DEP will spend $1.4 billion on the gray and $2.4 billion over the next 18 years on the green.
The agreement offers an opportunity for the City to incorporate green infrastructure into its CSO Long Term Control Plans, which will be developed with public input starting next year. This was one of the goals of the S.W.I.M (Stormwater Infrastructure Matters) Coalition when it was founded six years ago.
City Council member James F. Gennaro called the agreement "an ambitious, adaptive, intelligently designed stormwater management plan." "It will establish enforceable milestones and a budget to implement it," he continued. "The plan will offer better stormwater management at lower costs to the public. DEP projections indicate that the Green Infrastructure Plan will reduce combined sewage outflow volumes by nearly two billion gallons more per year than the previously required all-gray infrastructure plan -- and all that for $2.4 billion less in public spending."
Debbie Mans, Executive Director, NY/NJ Baykeeper, called upon New Jersey to follow suit: "We hope that New Jersey will follow NYC's leadership and step up to address its combined sewer overflows for a comprehensive solution for a swimmable and fishable New York-New Jersey Harbor."
All over New York City, organizations are working on innovative local stormwater management. In the Bronx, for example, Rocking the Boat students are monitoring a raingarden, a 10,000 square foot wetland, and a mussel and seaweed raft that filters water. Along the Gowanus Canal, landscape architect Susannah Drake is starting this year to plant the first phase of Sponge Park, which eventually will absorb huge amounts of stormwater before it drains into the canal. And at the Brooklyn Navy Yard industrial park, the stormwater management system has been completely rebuilt.
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NYC'S WAVES: ASSESSING THE FIRST YEAR
| | Waterfront Leaders Crowd Into a City Council Hearing
One year ago, Mayor Bloomberg announced the NYC Waterfront Vision and Enhancement Strategy (WAVES), a comprehensive plan that came in two parts -- the long-range blueprint known as Vision 2020: The New York City Comprehensive Waterfront Plan, and a short-term strategy, the Waterfront Action Agenda, which laid out 130 initiatives to be undertaken within three years.
On March 16, the Waterfronts Committee of the City Council held a hearing to assess the first year of the Waterfront Action Agenda. A packed committee room heard testimony from government planners and civic leaders about what has been accomplished, what was delayed, and what needs fresh attention.
Of the 130 initiatives, 39 were to be completed in 2011 and 28 were actually completed, such as the first section of the East River Waterfront Esplanade, the release of the Sherman Creek Waterfront Esplanade Master Plan and the completion of Alley Creek and Paerdegat Basin combined sewer overflow detention facilities. Looking ahead, Aaron Koch, a senior policy advisor to the Mayor, and Andrew Genn, vice president of maritime at the NYC Economic Development Corporation, said PORTNYC, the branding initiative launched last year by the EDC to increase awareness of the City's maritime and rail infrastructure, soon will launch a working waterfront marketing campaign.
Roland Lewis of the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance tempered his praise of WAVES with appeals to do more. "The East River Ferry service is a great success, but a tenuous success," he began. "It needs funding to ensure that it will go forward and expand." (Read Mr. Lewis's testimony here.)
He spoke about the City's revitalized Waterfront Management Advisory Board, which now meets twice a year. "It's not enough. We have to have more resources and we have to meet more often. I propose quarterly. And the Board needs a full time manager."
Mr. Lewis asked the EDC to create financial and regulatory incentives under the PORTNYC umbrella. He also encouraged taxing properties adjacent to waterfront parks as a way to fund maintenance of those parks.
Mr. Lewis and many others in the audience were concerned about the lack of docking facilities for historic boats. Carolina Salguero of PortSide NewYork testified that her nonprofit and its tanker Mary A. Whalen may have to close because she does not have a permit for a longterm location. On behalf of a new group tentatively called the Historic Ships Coalition, marine educator Maggie Flanagan pointed out the importance of dock design standards to accommodate all vessels.
Karen Sherman, who, with her husband docks the small motor boat MV Puffin in Mill Basin, off Jamaica Bay, concluded the hearing with a spontaneous appeal to the Waterfronts Committee for more docks all around the city. "There's nowhere for us to dock -- and there are a lot of us," she said. "Our options are severely limited in New York Harbor. We've met people who say they're not going to stop in New York because there's only one place to dock and they can't afford it." Ms. Sherman suggested the City consider muni-meters for transient boat parking -- an off-the-cuff proposal that several Waterfronts Committee members said had great merit. "You could open up a lot of waterfront communities with town docks and muni-meters," mused one as the hearing wrapped up.
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REGISTER NOW FOR THE 2012 WATERFRONT CONFERENCE
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|  Registration is now open for MWA's 2012 Waterfront Conference, May 18 (at Chelsea Piers) and 19 (at Pier 66 Maritime). The conference will feature:
- 12 breakout panels covering topics including Ecology and the Economy, the Future of our Port, Water Mass Transit, and Waterfront Finance
- Morning and evening harbor cruises
- Dozens of distinguished speakers
Please join us! For details and to register, click here.
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MARCH 29: ALL INVITED TO PLAN FOR A NEW TOWN DOCK IN THE BRONX
| | | Barretto Point Park, With a Pier Already in Place, Offers a Great Opportunity
 Attention, Bronx residents, educators, community groups, boaters and government officials! Might you be interested in a new town dock at Barretto Point Park?
We thought so. Please come to a public meeting to talk about the opportunity for an Eco Dock attached to Tiffany Street Pier at Barretto Point Park (the "A" on the map below) on March 29, 6pm to 7:30pm, at The Point CDC (940 Garrison Avenue). Let MWA's Becky Schneider know you'll be attending.
Eco Docks (see illustration below by architect and waterfront advocate Huntley Gill/Guardia Architects) are simple, sturdy docks that rise and fall with the tides. Cost-effective to build, they can be programmed for all kinds of uses -- for visits by traveling historic vessels (such as the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater) that now have no place to dock in the Bronx; for scientific and educational programs such as oyster restoration and water monitoring; and, not least, as a recreational boating hub for the local community. 
In its Open Waters Initiative, The MWA is working with the NYC Parks Department to develop Eco Docks around the city. One dock is already in progress at Brooklyn's 69th Street Pier in Bay Ridge and expected to open this fall.
At the March 29 meeting about a Bronx Eco Dock, the MWA will gauge community interest and lead a participatory dock design process. Later, programming will be developed and maintenance responsibilities determined.
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IMPORTANT CHANGES COMING TO THE CITY'S WATERFRONT REVITALIZATION PROGRAM
| | | Next Week, Watch for Notices from Your Local Community Board for a Chance to Comment
One year after the release of Vision 2020: NYC Comprehensive Waterfront Plan, City Planning Commissioner Amanda M. Burden is expected to launch public review next week for revisions to New York City's Waterfront Revitalization Program (WRP) that will advance the long-term sustainability goals and other priorities laid out in Vision 2020.
The WRP is the City's Coastal Zone Management Program, which guides agency reviews of projects proposed within the city's mapped coastal zone to ensure that they balance numerous interests for the waterfront. Next week, New Yorkers will have the opportunity to comment on the proposed changes, notably in the area of sustainability and climate resilience planning, interagency review of permitting to preserve and enhance maritime infrastructure, and support of the working waterfront.
The plan will be referred for review by 48 affected community boards and all borough presidents and all borough boards. Next week, visit nyc.gov/WRP for more details on the proposed WRP revisions or for further information on the public review process.
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BIG LIFT'S TRACER PASSES NYC ON HER WAY TO A BIG JOB UPRIVER
| | Giant Ship Brightens the Hudson River
 Yellow as a daffodil, M/V Tracer came up the river this week, her name and profile giving us a good idea of her purpose: lifting and transporting really heavy loads. BigLift Shipping, a company based in Amsterdam, specializes in this. Each job is a unique and often unprecedented challenge. Tracer's sister Traveller was once deployed to Fremantle, Australia, to hoist two 250-ton catamaran ferries aboard for transport halfway around the world to the Caribbean.
BigLift takes such things in stride, no doubt helped along by the sense of humor implicit in its name and those of its ships: most of its 16 vessels are called Happy-something, the prows of their bright, daffodil-yellow hulls bearing such smiling names as Happy Buccaneer, Happy Dragon, Happy Dynamic, and Happy Diamond.
By Brian Rogers
Editor's note: BigLift didn't respond to our request for information about Tracer's destination, but we found her up at the Port of Albany-Rensselaer using marinetraffic.com. Thanks to the Broadsheet, where this item was first published in RiverWatch. |
| 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:
- TASCA The American Small Craft Association http://www.sailtasca.org/
TASCA is a non-profit sailng school with the goal of introducing the sport of sailing to the general public. - Tern Group LLC http://www.terngroupllc.com/
Tern Group LLC, are leaders in environmentally responsible development. - Theodore W. Scull
Theodore Scull is a freelance travel writer and photographer. - Trust for Public Land http://www.tpl.org/
The Trust for Public Land conserves land for people to enjoy as parks, gardens, and other natural places, ensuring livable communities for generations to come. (back to top)
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| WATERFRONT NEWSLINKS |
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No-Show Jobs and Overstaffing Hurt New York Harbor, a Report Says"Corruption has been ingrained in the docks around New York Harbor for so long that the movie most identified with it was filmed in black and white. But 58 years after the release of "On the Waterfront," no-show jobs held by relatives of mobsters and other well-connected people continue to vex government officials trying to make the ports more efficient and more competitive..."The New York Times, March 21, 2012 A century of NYPD ˜spies" in Jersey"...Some 90 German ships had been caught in New York Harbor at the war's outbreak, with British warships waiting outside the three-mile limit to sink them. The stranded officers and crews worked with Irish stevedores out of Hoboken to plant bombs that exploded after the Allied ships were at sea..."New York Post, March 20, 2012 Cleanup Starts on NJ's Most Polluted River"Dredging began on a small section of the Passaic River in Newark, N.J. this week, more than 200 years after the first industries dumped their waste there..."NBC, March 20, 2012 Boaters' advocates optimistic over Hudson River police patrols"At the behest of Senator Charles Schumer, the U.S. Coast Guard set up a meeting March 9 with a collection of boating groups, businesses, state agencies and local law enforcers to hash out the issues raised by boaters last summer..."Times Herald-Record, March 20, 2012 Bronx Residents Hail Court Ruling That Could Reduce Pollution On Waterways"Rain washes road oil, pesticides, pet waste and even raw sewage into the Bronx River. But a recent court ruling could improve the situation..."NY1, March 17, 2012 Chevron says putting gas pipeline across its land in Bayonne would be risky for environment"In Chevron's filing on Tuesday with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which is tasked with approving the pipeline proposal, the energy company argues that benzene could be released into the Kill Van Kull if the proposed pipeline route isn't altered..."Jersey Journal, March 15, 2012 Rising Sea Levels Threaten New York: 140,000 New Yorkers Face Flooding Risks"There is some hope, however. New York is one of the best prepared cities for climate change disaster in the country..."The Huffington Post, March 15, 2012 Rising Sea Levels Seen as Threat to Coastal U.S."About 3.7 million Americans live within a few feet of high tide and risk being hit by more frequent coastal flooding in coming decades because of the sea level rise caused by global warming, according to new research..."The New York Times, March 13, 2012 New York City cruise industry grows nearly 10% in 2011, economic impact is $239 million "...Nearly 633,000 passengers who either passed through or stayed in hotels before and after their cruises added $150 million to city coffers in 2011, according to a study by the New York City Economic Development Corporation..."
NY Daily News, March 13, 2012
Crane on barge strikes scaffolding on NYC bridge"A crane being towed on a barge has struck scaffolding attached to the underside of New York City's Brooklyn Bridge..."The Wall Street Journal, March 13, 2012
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