The NYC Department of Environmental Protection has discovered that one of the NYC Housing Authority buildings on Hallets Point has been discharging untreated sewage into Hallets Cove. This was revealed when the DEP put blue dye into the system and observed the dye entering the cove, a method for which HarborLAB has long lobbied publicly and in private meetings with the NYCDEP. We’ve been the leader in lobbying for water quality improvement at Hallets Cove and are very grateful for the NYCDEP’s extra efforts, despite many other obligations, which produced this great new progress. We also thank NYCHA managers for requesting additional testing of its systems.
Further testing, as promised by the NYCDEP, must be done. This first clear identification of a contamination source, however, is a great start. HarborLAB looks forward to providing educational and fun programming at Hallets Cove if water quality there vastly improves.
...a NYCDEP official released exciting this exciting information to HarborLAB:
Erik – On September 22, DEP personnel responded to a request from management to inspect the sanitary drains in the Astoria Houses. They discovered uncapped drains that were allowing sanitary flow from one of the buildings to enter the storm sewer and discharge into the cove. This was confirmed by means of a dye test. They issued a Commissioner’s Order for the condition to be corrected (within 30 days), and a follow-up inspection will be made to confirm that the work has been done or the Houses will be issued a Notice of Violation to be adjudicated before the Environmental Control Board.
7 comments:
NYCHA harbors enough sewage in its buildings!
how nice that they are acknowledging their brazen pollution.
tone deaf
Isn't this special.
I blame income inequality for this one.
I am SHOCKED, SHOCKED, I say. Take a look at NY State's reports on combined sewer outfalls, at http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/48595.html. Heavy rain, or even snow melt, sends a mixture of storm and sanitary sewage, as well as all the crud/contaminants lying around loose on our streets, into NYC's waterways on a regular basis. So even if Housing fixes this, I still wouldn't let the kiddies near the water - especially within a couple of days of rain.
Gee, just think, the next hurricane this might very well be in all the lobbies of Cove This n Cove That.
Add to it schools and nurseries and the like, and tracking all that just everywhere and ....
well just then ol Randell's Island and or Bowery Bay Sewage Plant act up.
I bet there will be a big stink about this.
Commenters are absolutely right that waterways should be avoided after rain because of combined sewer overflows. This site has high bacteria even in dry weather. It's absolutely terrible that the LIC Community Boathouse's hijackers put kids into these fouled conditions year after year when they had data in hand. The risk is immediate, and then there's the after effect of giving a false impression of clean water that encourages kids to swim, wade, and build sand castles there after program hours. And they do.
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