The Department of Environmental Protection has been distributing rain barrels to community homeowners in partnership with local elected officials. Water collected in these 60-gallon barrels can be used for gardening and other outdoor purposes and thereby reduce personal water bills. The Gilboa Dam rehabilitation project received a major award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York. The DEP announces that it will begin applying natural herbicides along roads in upstate watersheds.
With the Riverbank State Park located atop of the North River Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility, the City has been monitoring formaldehyde levels in the Park for the past three years. The Ambient Air Formaldehyde Monitoring Report summarizes the findings.
The Department of Environmental Protection proposes a 2.1% increase in the Fiscal Year 2017 water rate, which is the lowest figure in the past 16 years. Twenty-two reservoirs and lakes were opened for this year's watershed recreation season on April 1. A $48 million water and sewer upgrade project in the Great Kills and Eltingville neighborhoods of Staten Island is currently underway.