Shared
Responsibility Ever notice the green carpet of algae that creeps across some
area reservoirs during the summer? It's not just unsightly, it's
unhealthy. Those algae blooms deplete oxygen levels, choke fish,
and give the water a foul odor and taste. To make matters worse,
algae transports germs through the reservoir system and interferes
with chlorine's ability to disinfect drinking water. Not surprisingly,
the state is taking aim at the culprit behind the ever-increasing
algae blooms - phosphorus-laden stormwater.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation is in the midst
of tightening its stormwater discharge permit requirements in order
to reduce the amount of phosphorus in the water supply. Phosphorus
accumulates in runoff from animal and plant waste, fertilizer,
failing septic systems and other sources. Under the new permit
requirements, municipalities within the Croton watershed will face
the strictest stormwater regulations in the state.
A regional issue
There is good reason for the tightened regulations, considering
that the Croton watershed provides 10 percent of the drinking water
used by 9 million people in New York City and some suburbs. It's
hard to argue with the need for a clean water supply, but this
plan was proposed with little consideration for what it might cost
the municipalities that make up the Croton watershed.
Now, months after a
draft set of requirements was released (known in industry jargon
as "MS4 Phase II" requirements) and
just weeks before the final set is about to be unveiled, state
officials are finally recognizing that a regional solution is necessary,
both to ensure consistency in the 300-square mile Croton watershed
area and to reduce the costs for the individual municipalities
in the watershed. A public benefit corporation, similar to one
that is in place to oversee the much larger Catskill watershed
area west of the Hudson River, merits further study. Funding for
it would come from many sources; the watershed towns must not bear
the entire financial burden.
The Croton watershed stretches from New Castle to Pawling, covering
11 towns in Westchester, four in Putnam and one in Dutchess County.
Eight of the 13 reservoirs in the Croton system violate federal
water-quality standards, some with phosphorus levels that are 33
percent higher than allowed, Jim Tierney, assistant commissioner
for Water Resources for the state Department of Environmental Conservation,
told the Editorial Board.
To reduce the amount of phosphorus in the reservoirs, all of the
sewage treatment plants within the watershed have been outfitted
with new, sophisticated equipment. New construction projects are
required by the state to build stormwater drainage ponds in order
to prevent runoff, and those permit requirements are being tightened
now as well. But the hardest task is still ahead: retrofitting
all of the municipal stormwater systems to reduce runoff, and creating
systems that allow water to be cleansed by letting it seep through
the ground en route to brooks and streams.
The state's goal is "to turn off the little spigots of phosphorus," Tierney
said.
New rules
The new requirements, which were announced in draft form in December
and are expected to be finalized in April, are varied: Some involve
high expense items, such as retrofitting storm drains, building
high-tech oil/water separators and mapping stormwater routes. Others
might be less costly but require a daunting change in procedure,
such as a requirement to bag leaves instead of collect them on
the side of a road, and sweeping streets regularly. Still other
requirements are just baffling, said Mary Beth Murphy, Somers town
supervisor and chairwoman of the Northern Westchester Watershed
Coalition, representing 11 towns; for example, the requirement
for towns to oversee that homeowners routinely check their own
septic systems. Septic systems now fall under the jurisdiction
of county health departments.
"This is an enormous undertaking," Edward Barnett, Putnam
County watershed information coordinator, told the Editorial Board. "It
has an unrealistic timeframe, it lacks an equitable funding process
and there has been no estimate for what it will cost regionwide."
The benefit of forming a public benefit corporation would be many.
For one, it would eliminate the duplication of costs and services
that would likely exist if each municipality only looked after
the stormwater within its own boundaries. Also, the corporation
would likely be eligible for grants from various state and federal
agencies that are concerned about water quality. In addition, New
York City has $4.5 million earmarked for Croton watershed preservation,
and that could be put toward the formation of a public benefit
corporation, Tierney said.
While the details and the funding of a public benefit corporation
still need to be explored, it is imperative that the costs for
a cleaner water supply should be shared by all of those who drink
the water.
(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material
is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior
interest in receiving the included information for research and
educational purposes. t r u t h o u t has no affiliation whatsoever
with the originator of this article nor is t r u t h o u t endorsed
or sponsored by the originator.)
"Go to Original" links are provided as a convenience
to our readers and allow for verification of authenticity. However,
as originating pages are often updated by their originating host
sites, the versions posted on TO may not match the versions our
readers view when clicking the "Go to Original" links.
|
