New York City has been collecting water quality data in New York Harbor since 1909. These data are utilzed by regulators, scientists, educators and citizens to assess impacts, trends and improvements in the water quality of New York Harbor.
The first neighborhood playground in New York City to be fully reconstructed under the Community Parks Initiative (CPI) has been opened, including $500,000 of green infrastructure elements allocated by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). DEP distributed rain barrels to about 100 homeowners from several neighborhoods of Queens. Director of Stormwater Management Outreach Mikelle Adgate has been honored with an award by the Stormwater Infrastructure Matters (SWIM) Coalition. DEP's Catch Basin Inspection Unit celebrates the completion of the first year of a new program to inspect stormwater basins annually, as opposed to every three years.
Reports on the development, progress and achievements of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection's source water protection programs established to maintain the Filtration Avoidance Determination (FAD) for the Catskill/Delaware portion of the New York City water supply.
Watershed Annual Reports provide summary information about the watersheds, streams and reservoirs that are the sources of New York City's drinking water. They provide a general overview of the city's water resources, their condition during the year, and report on the Department of Environmental Protection's compliance with regulatory standards or guidelines. These reports are complementary to the New York City Drinking Water Supply and Quality Reports, also published annually.
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), in partnership with the New York Aquarium, NYC Department of Sanitation and NYC Parks Department, had launched a public awareness campaign called Don't Trash Our Waters which aims to reduce litter and improve the health of the city's waterbodies. Chief Operator Tim Daly of the Croton Water Filtration Plant has been honored with the Operator of the Year Award by the New York State American Water Works Association (NYSAWWA). The DEP's 2017 Water-on-the-Go Program is underway, offering portable public drinking water fountains to promote the city's tap water. DEP has completed a new Bluebelt in Staten Island's Pleasant Plains neighborhood.
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has received its sixth out of a total eleven shipments of steel liners for repairing the Delaware Aqueduct between Newburgh and Wappinger on the Hudson River. Nesting boxes for peregrine falcons on the towers of three NYC bridges are monitored by DEP research scientist Christopher Nadareski, who proceeds to place identifying bands on any new hatchlings. Three DEP teams competed in the Operations Challenge statewide competition held at the New York Water Environment Association's conference in Rochester, New York. Construction has been completed on a $5.5 million sewer installation project in West Brighton, Staten Island.