| Low Tide 12:50am | High Tide 6:41am | Low Tide 11:44am | High Tide 6:53pm* |
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AHOY!
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 WaterWire Q&A
with Capt. Bill Sheehan
of Hackensack Riverkeeper
A lifelong resident of New Jersey, Bill Sheehan founded the Hackensack Riverkeeper 15 years ago, determined to protect the river's ecosystem and challenge those who allow garbage and toxic chemicals to be dumped into it. His track record is impressive: whether needling agencies, suing companies, building coalitions or simply increasing public awareness of the river's potential, the Hackensack Riverkeeper has guided the reversal of a precipitous environmental decline. One can gain a clear understanding of the river's challenges by taking an eco-cruise with Capt. Bill. He'll point out ospreys that have returned after a 75-year absence, and show you chemical sites undergoing remediation. Here's landfill being turned into a waterfront park, there's where a new fishing pier will be built using funds from a pollution lawsuit settlement.
What did you do before founding Hackensack Riverkeeper?
I was a rock-and-roll drummer. Then I was a cab driver because that's what you do when the music game isn't going so well. I had a boat and I was fishing quite a bit and it was getting more and more complicated. I started educating myself about fisheries management. I had this epiphany where I realized that government agencies were only interested in end of the line solutions. Nobody was looking at habitat laws or water quality issues. I started volunteering at Baykeeper. By '97 I was ready to start Hackensack Riverkeeper.
What's the most satisfying part of the job?
What keeps me going are encounters with the public. Giving people the opportunity to be outdoors on the river has expanded a lot of horizons. We also have a hotline and on a pretty regular basis people call with tips about pollution. I can often just make a call and get it taken care of, but other times there are opportunities for Riverkeeper to make a bigger difference. Of course, going after the bad guys is part of the fun. Tell us about some of those bad guys.Well, we're monitoring the Honeywell folks. That's going to be a long-term relationship. We sued them the first time in 2000 and the case was decided in our favor. We filed an intent to sue over chromium contamination again in 2005 and the company was much more willing to settle with us. They started remediation and began an escrow account. The chromium was originally dumped into the wetlands by Mutual Chemical. Even in the 1930s they knew that chromium was cancerous. We uncovered some pretty damming correspondence. Mutual Chemical was consumed by Allied Signal, another company that never saw a river it couldn't pollute. Then Allied Signal joined forces with Honeywell. That was when my attorneys said we have a company that has the resources that can affect a cleanup. One of the things you have to look for when researching these cases is the company's resources. Another dangerous place along the river is the Kuehne site. They store a great deal of chlorine on the property. If there was ever an industrial accident or, god forbid, sabotage, the cloud of chlorine gas would kill thousands. Has the focus of Hackensack Riverkeeper changed over the years? For the first 13 or 14 years, Hackensack Riverkeeper went after polluters. Today, our two most active cases, with a third in the wings, are directed against the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. New Jersey has a totally illegal general CSO permit that's just a shield for cities. The permit doesn't comport with the Clean Water Act. There's no limitation on the number of times a sewer can overflow or how much sewage can get into the river. No controls whatsoever. We decided to bring a case against the DEP to have that permit revoked and replaced with meaningful individual permits for cities. While that case is proceeding, along comes the DEP with the Waiver Rule, which basically says if somebody can prove that complying with environmental regulations is impeding their progress they can get a waiver. It's an illegal attempt by the Christie Administration to overturn a robust environmental law. The third case we're looking at has to do with the DEP's inappropriate public access rule. How does the future of the Hackensack River look to you?Back in the 90s the Hackensack River was identified as one of America's most endangered rivers because of continued wetland loss and because no one was cleaning up their messes. Today the Hackensack River is being hailed as a river in recovery. It still needs work: we have a dissolved oxygen problem in the summer, and we have a pathogen problem from CSOs. But we've now got more than 65 species of marine life, and 265 species of birds visit the Meadowlands. Bottom line: we have to be vigilant about shenanigans along the shoreline. There's plenty of work for Riverkeeper. |
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TAKE ACTION
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Is there a plan in public review
that you should know about?
An important meeting you might want to attend? A waterfront project needing your help?
TAKE ACTION HERE!
LEARN
MWA's Waterfront Conference this past May 18 and 19 attracted more than 500 participants. Information about each of the panels, including video recordings and the speakers' powerpoints, can be found online here.
HELP the NYC Economic Development Corporation and NY Waterway make the East River Ferry service even better. Take this online survey
VOLUNTEER at the waterfront
* Teach people about safe kayaking at the Hoboken Cove Boathouse
* Paint, clean, sand; be a deckhand or a docent at the Tug Pegasus Preservation Project. Email info@tugpegasus.org
SUPPORT the Harbor Act
Sign a petition that urges Congressional representatives to support the New York-New Jersey Harbor Restoration and Reinvestment Act.
JOIN the South Street Seaport Museum
The museum needs the support of everyone in the maritime community. Click here and look for the membership box on the left. |
Events on the Waterfront
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August 11
Lake Tappan Paddle Day9am-5:30pm, Lake Tappan Bronx River Ramble10am, Crestwood Metro North train station Community Paddle & Clean Up10am-1pm, Marina 59, Beach Channel Drive @ Beach 59th St., Rockaways Walking Tour: Coney Island10:30am, Municipal Art Society Chesapeake Light Craft Demo Day11am-4pm, Beczak Environmental Education Center, Yonkers Hidden Harbor Walking Tour of Lower Manhattan1pm, Wagner Park, Battery Park City August 12
Freshkills Park Kayak Tour
2pm, michael.callery@parks.nyc.govBeach Clean-Up Day8am-12pm, various beaches
August 15
Lava at the Waterfront Museum
8pm, 290 Conover St., Red Hook Pier 44
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~ by & large ~
July 2012, Wild Oysters Found  Staff at the River Project were excited to find more wild oysters than expected at Pier 42 in the Hudson River.
___________________
July 2012, Hornblower Heads North
Hornblower Hybrid was introduced to the Westchester Business Council.
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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 City Island on August 10, 2012.
For your waterfront's daily tides,
go to saltwatertides.com.
For information about currents, water temperature, salinity and wave height
of the New York Harbor area, check the Urban Ocean Observatory at Stevens Institute's Center for Maritime Systems
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| CONTENTS: August 10, 2012 | Elected Officials Fund an Eco Dock for Upper Manhattan
Boaters: plan to visit the new Dyckman Marina next year!
Help determine the future of this far-flung, urban national park
Catching the Bad Guys, Part 1
A new app lets you report oil spills directly to the Coast Guard
It's Capt. Bill Sheehan's mission
Reimagining the East River Waterfront
Fascinating ideas at the Museum of the City of New York exhibition
An update from the Army Corps of Engineers
Photo coverage of recent events at and on the water
Meet Some MWA Partners
Newslinks
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CITY'S 2ND ECO-DOCK COMING TO THE HUDSON RIVER
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| Capital Funding in Place; Plans Proceeding
It's official: the region's second Eco Dock is coming to La Marina, a new waterfront business at the Hudson River end of Dyckman Street in upper Manhattan. 
Like the first Eco Dock -- opening next spring at the 69th Street Pier in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn -- La Marina's Eco Dock will accommodate small recreational vessels like kayaks as well as large historic and educational vessels such as the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater or the fireboat John J. Harvey. The dock is being built by the NYC Parks Dept. with $700,000 from Borough President Scott Stringer and City Council member Robert Jackson (District 7).
"Manhattan is America's most famous island, and the people who live here deserve expanded access to the waterfront surrounding them," said Borough President Stringer. "I am pleased that the Borough's first Eco Dock will be opening in Washington Heights, one of our City's most historic neighborhoods, because residents of all ages will now be able to take advantage of the recreational opportunities afforded by a previously inaccessible waterfront district. The kayaks, large boats and other vessels docking at Dyckman Marina will bring new life and vitality to this area, and I am proud that my office helped support this worthy project."
"Many New Yorkers forget that Manhattan is an island with access to the waterfront," said Council Member Jackson. "That's why I supported the development of a new Eco Dock in the Dyckman Marina, which will open the waterfront to Northern Manhattan and encourage residents to partake in water activities such as kayaking, sailing, and other aquatic activities. This is a great addition to the area that will provide educational opportunities and even economic growth and tourism to the area. The Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance project will open Northern Manhattan to a 'sea' of possibilities."
Dyckman Marina has undergone a multi-year, multi-million dollar transformation. Concessionaires Josh Rosen and Jerald Tenenbaum of the Manhattan River Group are rebuilding the dilapidated property, and earlier this summer, they opened phase one, a waterfront restaurant. "Our goal has been to actively participate in the community and to bring people to the water," said Mr. Tenenbaum. In addition to the Eco Dock, the marina will offer seasonal and transient dock slips and moorings, and fishing, sailing and kayaking opportunities.
 Less than six weeks old, La Marina's restaurant is already attracting good business from those who drive to the western end of Dyckman Street. The restaurant's twinkling lights and good vibe are pulling in passing vessels, too. "We've got a lot of curious boaters coming in close and looking for a place to dock," Mr. Tenenbaum said. Boaters, however, have a long wait for reservations. The Eco Dock and marina opens next year.
The Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance's Eco Dock program is supported by the NYC Parks Dept., the NY State Dept. of State, the Hudson River Foundation and the Hudson River Estuary Program of the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation. The MWA is also grateful to Ydanis Rodriguez, the other upper Manhattan representative on the City Council, for his enthusiasm and encouragement.
The Parks Department and MWA are working to determine the timeline and next steps before scheduling meetings with the community. If you'd like more information, contact Becky Schneider at bschneider@waterfrontalliance.org .
Eco Dock rendering by Huntley Gill/Guardia Architects
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| GATEWAY'S GUARDIANS NEED YOUR INPUT |
| Help Plan the Future of NY/NJ's Great Urban Park
What does it mean to be a great urban park in the 21st century? The National Park Service needs your help as it tries to answer the question for the diverse shorelines of Gateway National Recreation Area.   With more than 26,000 acres of beaches, wetlands and wildlife sanctuaries, Gateway is the local water-lover's dream. Its three units -- Sandy Hook, NJ; Staten Island; and Jamaica Bay -- offer kayaking, fishing, sunbathing, beachcombing, bicycling, birdwatching and camping amid abundant nature and historic sites. At right, a path meanders from Fort Tilden to the beach in the Jamaica Bay unit. Two years ago, the National Park Service received thousands of comments from the public on the draft of a new General Management Plan for Gateway. With that input, the NPS planning team finetuned three distinct courses of action for the park and is now hosting more public sessions to gather a second round of comment. Read the details of the alternative futures of the Gateway General Management Plan here. - Alternative A: No action.
- Alternative B: Discovering Gateway. Strengthens connections between the park and neighboring communities with improved access.
- Alternative C: Experiencing Preserved Places. Focuses on Gateway's natural and cultural resources.
- Alternative D: Connecting Coastlines. Addresses water-based resources, activities and modes of transportation.
This week you have two opportunities to speak with planners and review presentation boards and maps. If you can't make it to either of the following sessions, you may comment online. Friday, August 10, 2012 11am-3pm, at
Jacob Riis Park, Rockaway Beach Boulevard, Queens
Saturday, August 11, 2012, 11am-3pm, at
Great Kills Park, off Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island
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GET A FREE APP TO TRACK MARINE POLLUTION
| | Don't Let Ships that Dump OIl Get Away With It
Deliberate dumping of oil from ships accounts for nearly half of all the oil dumped into the oceans by humans -- and it happens on a daily basis.A new organization, Marine Defenders, is addressing the problem of intentional, chronic oil pollution along New York and New Jersey coastal waters with its launch of a smartphone tool -- better known as an app -- for reporting oil spills, pollution and marine debris. The reports are mapped geo-spatially on the Marine Defenders website and sent to the U.S. Coast Guard's National Response Center."Once people have the app, real and detailed citizen-reporting of oil spills can begin," said Tara Nadolny from Marine Defenders. "Imagine if this had existed in the Gulf a few years back!"
The new app was created by Common Ground Productions for SUNY Maritime College with a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Marine Defenders' goal is to educate mariners, students, activists and concerned citizens about oil pollution and its impact on the environment, and give them free tools that will help them take action. The web site also presents the key laws that govern oil pollution, an explanation of the federal reward program for whistleblowers, and science lesson plans for high school and college students. While you're on the site, check out the 23-minute video Oil In Our Waters.
The Marine Defenders app for iPhone and iPad may be downloaded free from the iTunes store here.
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REIMAGINING THE EAST RIVER WATERFRONT
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| See the Exhibition of Winning Proposals
What to do with the strip of land between the FDR Drive and East River, between 60th and 125th Street? The exhibition Reimagining the Waterfront: Manhattan's East River Esplanade at the Museum of the City of New York offers creative ideas. This exhibition, in place through October 28, gathers the winners of a contest sponsored last fall by Civitas, an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in the Upper East Side and East Harlem. Architects, landscape architects and city planners from around the world responded, and then a team of judges waded through 91 proposals from 24 countries.  First prize went to Syracuse University architecture student Joseph Wood, who imagined canals connecting East Harlem and the Upper East Side. Second was awarded to Takuma Ono and Darina Zlateve of the firm Aershop, who offered an underwater ecosystem topped by boardwalks (rendering above). Third went to Matteo Rossetti from Italy, who devised a unique way for the community to participate in the design of its own waterfront. To read a story in The Architect's Newspaper about the competition, click here. Open every day from 10am to 6pm, the Museum of the City of New York is at 1220 Fifth Avenue, at 103rd Street. Suggested admission is $10 for adults and $6 for seniors and students.
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BALANCING ECONOMIC REVITALIZATION & A SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT IN NY HARBOR
| | An Update from US Army Corps of Engineers
By Lisa Baron, USACE Project Manager
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District and its regional partners are actively committed to achieving the vision of a "World Class Harbor Estuary," balancing the economic revitalization of the Port of New York and New Jersey with ecosystem restoration and critical infrastructure protection. Over the years, the District and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey have deepened more than 35 miles of shipping channels to accommodate the large container ships that dominate worldwide shipping today. These improvements will keep the Port of NY and NJ competitive and viable, particularly with the expansion of the Panama Canal scheduled to be completed by 2014. The Port of New York and New Jersey is a key regional and national economic engine providing about 280,000 total jobs in NY and NJ, nearly $11.6 billion in personal income, more than $37.1 billion in business income and almost $5.2 billion in tax revenues while serving 35% of the U.S. population.  To date, the NY/NJ Harbor Deepening Project has beneficially used more than 60 million cubic yards of sediment, which includes constructing more than 100 acres of tidal marsh, establishing offshore reefs, nourishing beaches, capping landfills and brownfields, and capping the Dredged Material Historic Area Remediation Site (HARS) off the coast of Sandy Hook, New Jersey. As the project nears completion in 2014, over 3.6 million cubic yards of high quality sand are being dredged from Ambrose Channel, providing a 50-foot-deep pathway from the ocean to Port Elizabeth and Newark by December 2012. NY&NJ Harbor/Jamaica Bay Multi-Project Initiative
Maximizing the beneficial use of dredged material has been the policy at the New York District since the inception of the Harbor Deepening Project. A recent New York District effort -- the NY&NJ Harbor/Jamaica Bay Multi-Project Initiative -- exemplifies this policy in the effort to use as much of the sand dredged to remediate, restore and protect the harbor estuary. The innovative business approach of this particular initiative is consistent with the goals of the Army Corps' Civil Works Transformation -- utilizing integrated water resource management, and collaboration and partnering to meet the challenges of federal and local constrained budgets, critical infrastructure needs and ecosystem restoration. The goal is to utilize dredged material from both the Harbor Deepening Project's Ambrose Channel and the operation and maintenance of the Jamaica Bay NY Federal Navigation Channel to:  - advance three critical marsh island restoration projects in Jamaica Bay to restore more than 75 acres of wetlands;
- stabilize the shoreline at Plumb Beach, New York to protect the essential transportation infrastructure of the Belt Parkway and sewer infrastructure (right);
- cap and close the Newark Bay Confined Disposal Facility in New Jersey; and continue capping the HARS.
Integrating these individual programs and projects leverages authorizations and funding sources while reducing construction costs. In addition, ecological and regional benefits are maximized from marsh island restoration and the creation of coastal wetlands which help stabilize and protect the shoreline, provide important habitat and improve water and sediment quality. "The Army Corps has a strong commitment along with our partners and stakeholders to restore critical habitat within Jamaica Bay, maintain the ecological integrity of the NY/NJ Harbor Estuary, with the economic benefits of deepening the Port of New York and New Jersey," said Col. John R. Boulé II, the Army Corps' New York District Commander. Steadfast Partners Make It Work
The District will continue to work with its dredging contractors and partners to find additional opportunities to beneficially use sand from Ambrose Channel and the Jamaica Bay Federal Navigation Channel for restoration throughout the estuary. The steadfast commitment of the many federal, state and local partners involved in this beneficial use initiative resulted in efficient and coordinated development of complex plans and specifications, approval of technical reports, execution of funding agreements, securing federal and non-federal funds and issuance of essential permits. The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York City Department of Environmental Protection and New York City Department of Parks & Recreation provided significant non-federal funds serving as non-federal sponsors. Other important partners include the National Park Service, NY/NJ Harbor Estuary Program, National Resources Conservation Service and many other stakeholders. Regional partnerships within the NY/NJ Harbor Estuary are fundamental to advancing restoration at a time when funding is limited. The leveraging of non-federal funds has resulted in the implementation of key priority projects for the region outlined in the USACE Hudson-Raritan Estuary Comprehensive Restoration Plan (CRP), the Department of Interior Secretary Salazar's and New York City Mayor Bloomberg's joint strategy to restore Jamaica Bay, NYC's Comprehensive Waterfront Plan, NYC Vision 2020 and PlaNYC. Furthermore, this initiative advances many restoration targets and goals outlined in the CRP, which when implemented, will advance the region's vision of a "World Class Harbor Estuary."
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| WATERFRONT NEWSLINKS |
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Hudson River Sewage Could Impact Ironman Race"Officials in Westchester are planning a "controlled discharge" of several million gallons of chlorinated raw sewage into the Hudson River overnight, the day before the Ironman triathlon will bring thousands of swimmers into the river nearby..."NBC4NY, August 9, 2012 Newtown Creek Tour Highlights Region's Rich History"To say that Mitch Waxman is merely a tour guide hardly does the man justice. Waxman is a walking, breathing, talking encyclopedia of history and anecdotes surrounding one of Greenpoint and Williamsburg's most hallowed and revolting landmarks: Newtown Creek..."Greenpoint Gazette, August 9, 2012 Saving New York's seaports"Trade activity through the New York region increased 18% in 2011 over the previous year, but most of the commerce didn't flow through the city's own seaports..."Crain's New York, August 8, 2012 After Sunset, a Whole New Beach as Rockaway Gets Its Second Wind"...As the sun dips below the oceanfront high-rises, the beach becomes the brief early-evening domain of stragglers from the daytime, along with can collectors, fishermen, surfers, volleyballers and the treasure hunters armed with metal detectors..."The New York Times, July 31, 2012 River of Hope in the Bronx"Perhaps the most unsung patch of heaven in New York City is a tiny sliver of riverfront parkland tucked between a metal-recycling yard and a giant wholesale produce market, on the far side of a six-lane highway and a pair of active freight train tracks. Hunts Point Riverside Park, a 1.4-acre speck in the South Bronx, opened a few years ago on what had been a filthy, weedy street end..."The New York Times, July 19, 2012
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