NYCkayaker Jamaica Bay...

[HB]

>  
> From: David M. Quintana
> 
> I attended the Jamaica Bay Task Force (JBTF) quarterly meeting last night
> (July 1st) at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn and I wanted to share some
> important environmental information with everyone.
> 
> As some of you know, Jamaica Bay is being overloaded with nitrogen from NYC's
> Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) waste treatments plants. This is
> destroying the aquatic life and the marshes at an alarming rate in the
> Bay...The Bay is losing 35-40 acres of marshland a year. Currently, the DEP is
> discharging 30,000 - 35,000 tons a day of nitrogen into the bay, at this rate
> this important community resource will cease to exist in our lifetime... this
> would be tragic. 
> 
> Scientists predict that, at the current rate, the marsh islands will
> completely vanish in less than 20 years. Adjacent to New York City, the Bay is
> one of the largest and most productive coastal ecosystems in the northeastern
> United States, and includes the largest tidal wetland complex in the New York
> metropolitan area. Jamaica Bay's wetlands serve as flood protection and
> shoreline erosion control for the homes and businesses of the encircling
> neighborhoods of Brooklyn and Queens, home to more than 500,000 New Yorkers.
> 
> The Jamaica Bay watershed, which feeds the freshwater portion of the estuary,
> extends deep into Brooklyn, Queens, and Nassau County. The New York State
> Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has included Jamaica Bay on its
> Section 303(d) impaired water list since 1998 because of violations of water
> quality standards relating to pathogens, nitrogen, and oxygen demand.
> 
> It was reported at the JBTF meeting that the NYS DEC is currently preparing a
> "white" paper to deal with this situation.
> 
> I believe it's important that NYS DEC use the full force of their oversight
> and enforcement powers to have NYC DEP lower their rate of nitrogen discharge
> and other polluants into the Bay. I feel we owe this to our children and
> future generations of New Yorkers.
> 
> I also feel NYS DEC's enforcement action with NYC DEP should be as stringent
> as possible within the law... The City should be held accountable for this
> pollution and made to eliminate it completely or take actions to seriously
> mitigate the discharge of this life threatening pollutant to the aquatic life
> in Jamaica Bay.
> 
> In this regard, I would ask that everyone to please exert pressure on their
> local State Senators and Assembly members (phone numbers & contact information
> below) by calling their offices and asking that their representatives contact
> DEC Commissioner Peter Grannis to ensure that NYS DEC brings NYC DEP into full
> compliance or have the City face serious ramifications and penalties for
> non-compliance. 
> 
> If you require additional information, please contact me.
> 
> Please feel free to distribute this widely.
> 
> Thanking you in advance for your kind and prompt cooperation in this matter.
> 
> Legislator Information
> 
> To find your NYS  Senate member
> http://www.senate.state.ny.us/senatehomepage.nsf/senators
> 
> To find your NYS Assembly member
> http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/
> 
> More here:
> http://davidmquintana.blogspot.com/2008/07/jamaica-bay-task-force-meeting-july
> -1st.html
> 
> "never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change
> the world; it's the only thing that ever
> has" - Margaret Mead
> 
> ------ End of Forwarded Message