VESSELS PLAY A VITAL ROLE IN
CONTRIBUTING TO POLLUTION
IN OUR WATERWAYS
By Dominic Cenatiempo
Vessels from across the country and
from overseas come to port and
dock almost every single day here in
New York State. But underlying this
major mode of transportation and
shipping is an ever growing concern
that’s effecting our marine environ-
ment here and beyond.
Although the New York City Depart-
ment of Environmental Protection
(DEP) states that there are 12 New
York City pump out stations to dis-
pose of waste and that it is illegal for
boaters to discharge sewage within
NDA’s - No Discharge Areas, ves-
sels still continue to pollute our wa-
terways on a daily basis. Not all of
them use these pump out stations
which are free of charge. The DEP’s
website only provides 2 maps and
there isn’t much info for boats and
vessels to go by unless they down-
load and open them. One file is so
outdated that it includes a calendar
from 2006-2007. There is no general
information phone number, locations
are vague and there is no infor-
mation about the penalties for unlaw-
fully dumping sewage waste. For
operators of vessels who are unfa-
miliar with New York, there is nothing
to go by.
It appears that there is no way to
document whether or not each ves-
sel visited a pump out station to dis-
pose of sewage waste every time
they enter or leave each port, dock-
ing station, ferry terminal, mainte-
nance facility, etc . More needs to be
done and stricter penalties must be
imposed. But none of this is possible
without increased police and coast
guard surveillance of our waterways.
Page 4
SPRING 2015
NATURAL RESOURCES PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION
where the Hell's Angels used to
roast pigs on the beach. All of that
was replaced 35 years ago by Port
Regalle condos by the sea.
The beach is beautiful, with views of
Gateway and Raritan Bay.
We cleaned up more than 350 lbs. of
debris and trimmed back the thorns.
Special thanks to Dominic, Danny,
John, Chuck, Laura and all who
helped.
See you at the next clean up!
LIVING BREAKWATERS
By Jim Scarcella
The Governors Office of Storm Re-
covery is the lead agency for The
Rebuild by Design project in the wa-
ters off Conference House Park,
Tottenville. The project calls for two
oyster reefs of approximately 13,000
linear feet constructed of a non-
leeching concrete and other marine
organisms friendly materials. There
is also a Tottenville Dunes compo-
nent to the project from Sprauge Av-
enue down to Page Avenue.
Even more important is the Commu-
nity Hub center, where citizens can
interact with the Breakwaters by
learning about marine ecology, inter-
tidal environment, kayaking and
floodplain preservation.
There are still issues that need to be
settled, like what will be the flow of
water between the shoreline and the
constructed reefs, what access will
be allowed on the reefs, will we be
allowed to fish and swim from them?
How will the breakwater absorb the
wave energy, will it dissipate enough
to protect the homes adjacent to the
Conference House?
The public meeting is April 30, 2015
at Community board 3. The contact
person is Mr. Daniel Greene, Deputy
General Counsel, Governor's Office
of Storm Recovery, 25 Beaver
Street, 5
th
floor, New York, NY,
10004.
.
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