Res. No. 223
Title
Resolution calling on the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the United States Environmental Protection Agency to designate all coastal waters and navigable waterbodies adjacent to New York City as No Discharge Zones, including Newtown Creek, Gowanus Canal, Coney Island Creek, Raritan Bay and New York Harbor.
Body
By Council Member Van Bramer
Whereas, New York City has 520 miles of coastline and is surrounded by waterbodies including the Atlantic Ocean, Lower New York Bay, Upper New York Bay, the Hudson River, the East River, Jamaica Bay, Raritan Bay, Little Neck Bay, Arthur Kill, Newtown Creek, Coney Island Creek, Flushing Creek and the Gowanus Canal; and
Whereas, These waterbodies are invaluable and provide economic, environmental, public health and recreational benefits to the City; and
Whereas, The Clean Water Act (CWA) of 1972 was enacted to restore and protect the integrity of waterbodies of the United States and to regulate the discharge of substances into such waters; and
Whereas, While marine vessels are permitted to discharge treated waste in most waterbodies, the CWA provides that states may apply for a prohibition of waste discharges for certain waterbodies that require greater environmental protection; and
Whereas, Such waterbodies may be identified by a state and approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for designation as No Discharge Zones (NDZs); and
Whereas, The New York State Navigation Law prohibits marine vessels from discharging waste into waterbodies that have been designated NDZs; and
Whereas, In 2003, a portion of the Hudson River from the Battery in Manhattan to Troy, New York was designated a NDZ, and in 2011, Jamaica Bay was designated a NDZ; and
Whereas, In 2010, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and EPA announced a joint goal to establish NDZs in all coastal waters and navigable wate...
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