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News from SWIM Coalition
In this issue:
NEWS:
NYS DEC has issued an updated fact sheet on the sources of pollution and water quality in Hudson/East River watershed
NYC DEP has published the CSO LTCP 4th Quarter 2016 Progress Report
NY/NJ Baykeeper has launched a new website on Microplastics
Pittsburgh’s GI and Stormwater Management Plan
EVENTS:
February 18 and 26th, Saving Jamaica Bay documentary airs on Channel 13 WNET. Scroll down for details.
February 21, NYC DEP Newtown Creek LTCP Public Meeting
February 21, NYC Urban Field Station's Science of the The Living City Panel Discussion:Community Resilience through Green Infrastructure
February 22, NYCDEP Stormwater Advisory Group Public Meeting on the City's Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Stormwater Management Plan
JOB OPENINGS:
Green Infrastructure Program Manager: NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection
_________________________________________________ THE DETAILS: NEWS:
NY Department of Environmental Conservation's fact sheet on water quality in the Hudson/East River watershed:
The 25-page fact sheet lists all the waterbodies in this watershed, the types and sources of pollutants in them, and explains the reasons why particular waters are deemed impaired or in compliance with water quality standards.
NYC DEP has published the CSO LTCP Q4 2016 Progress Report:
Note the table on page 24 which lists the # of GI acres built (to date) per watershed, and a progress update for each of the 11 CSO LTCP’s on pages 34 and 35.
A key date change to note is the East River Open Waters plan due date, it has been extended 12 months and is now due December 2018. See SWIM's Open Sewer Atlas map of the Lower East River sewershed here.
We have asked DEP when they will hold their annual public update on the LTCP program and will post a notice on our website and in our next e-blast as soon as we have the date and details.
New York/New Jersey Baykeeper has launched a website on Microplastics
An alarming 165 million plastic pieces are floating in the NY-NJ Harbor, according to NY/NJ Baykeeper, and more than 663 species of organisms are impacted by plastic pollution, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.
You'll find the website uses animation and photography to explore this serious threat to our waters and the ecosystems that depend on them.
Check out Pittsburgh's Green First Stormwater Assessment Plan presentation:
S.W.I.M. is always checking to see how other cities around the nation are assessing and addressing stormwater management and presenting information to the public. Here is a link to a presentation by the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority on their stormwater management plan and their intended use of Green Infrastructure.
EVENTS:
Saturday, February 18 at 1:00 p.m. and Sunday, February, 26 at 9:00 p.m. Saving Jamaica Bay Documentary air dates on WNET
Saving Jamaica Bay tells the story of how one community fought government inaction and overcame Hurricane Sandy to clean up and restore the largest open space in New York City, which had become a dumping ground for garbage, sewage, and bullet-riddled mobsters. Narrated by Academy-Award winning actress Susan Sarandon, Saving Jamaica Bay underscores the importance of citizen action and the role of urban nature in protecting our cities from the effects of climate change. The documentary will air on WNET on Feb. 18 and 26, click here for details. Tuesday, February 21, 6:00 - 8:00 pm, DEP Newtown Creek CSO LTCP Public Meeting
Newtown Creek Visitor Center, 329 Greenpoint Ave, Brooklyn, NY, 11222. At the November kickoff meeting, community members requested a follow-up meeting to focus on the data analysis conducted for the Newtown Creek LTCP. Please join us for an in- depth technical LTCP meeting, non-technical people are also encouraged to attend! Click here to RSVP.
Tuesday, February 21, 6-8 p.m., Science of the Living City
Community Resilience Through Green Infrastructure Pace University, 1 Pace Plaza, NY NY 10038 1st Floor in the Aneillo Bianco Room(please use entrance at 9 Spruce Street) A panel discussion, hosted by the U.S. forest Service NYC Urban Field Station, on how to leverage Green Infrastructure stormwater investments to create urban resilience and sustainability RSVP. Wednesday, February 22, 6:30 -8:30 p.m. NYC DEP Stormwater Advisory Group Public Meeting
St. Francis College, 182 Remsen Street, Room 4202, Brooklyn, NY 11201 Join the NYC Department of Environmental Protection for the next update on the City's Stormwater Management Program (SWMP) development. Click here to RSVP for the meeting and visit the DEP MS4 information page for more information about the plan. Approximately 40% of the City is served by the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer, the system is not connected to the City's wastewater treatment plants, which means the stormwater that runs off our streets is not cleaned before it discharges directly into our local waterways. Polluted stormwater runoff is the major reason that almost 40 percent of surveyed U.S. waterbodies do not meet water quality standards. To learn more about this and the City's upcoming 2018 Stormwater Management Plan check out SWIM's MS4 fact sheet. JOB OPENINGS:
Green Infrastructure Program Manager
NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection The Bureau of Environmental Planning and Analysis (BEPA) seeks to hire an Administrative Construction Program Manager MII to work as a Program Manager for the Office of Ecosystem Services, Green Infrastructure and Research & Development, located in Queens, NY. Apply Here.