News - Latest Developments

Riverkeeper has received numerous reports over the past year of large numbers of tires floating in the Harlem River near Spuyten Duyvil. During a patrol in June Riverkeeper boat captain John Lipscomb observed floating tires and discovered a large tire dump containing what appeared to be several hundred tires behind a self storage facility on the Harlem River. Riverkeeper reported the tire dump to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Law Enforcement who already had a criminal complaint pending against the site for tire dumping reported … Learn More

Listen to CBS Radio Water Quality Report (audio file, MP3) Learn More

July 24, 2009. Since the commencement of the dredging on May 15, over 57,000 cubic yards of river sediment have been removed from the Hudson River around Rogers Island in Fort Edward, NY, and in the east bank of the river near Griffin Island. And, so far, EPA and GE are reporting no violations of Performance Standards for the resuspension of PCBs (500 parts per trillion, which is the EPA drinking water standard). Due to Riverkeeper concerns about GE’s full commitment to this remediation, at the July 16 … Learn More

Riverkeeper supports the NY State Assembly Bill 8914 which calls for reducing the use of products that contain phosphorus in New York State. Phosphorus, which is currently found in some lawn fertilizers and household cleaning products, is a hazardous chemical when it makes its way into our waterways through lawn run-off and dumping into our sewers. Read letter to NYS Assemblyman Sweeney in support of a statewide Phosphorus bill. Learn More

We have redesigned our site to allow for easier access to our Campaigns and Cases, more information on the resources we protect, and increased opportunities for our supporters to stay informed and get involved. New features you can explore today include – the NYC Watershed section where you can learn all about the engineering feat that supplies pristine drinking water to 9 million New Yorkers; our new Take Action section where you’ll learn how to minimize your impact on the Hudson River and our watershed; A Hudson River Journey where … Learn More

The Gowanus Canal, one of the most heavily contaminated water bodies in the nation, is a candidate for the Federal Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). If it makes the list, then the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency can begin studying the extent of its contamination and draft plans for a thorough and coordinated cleanup. Although EPA is facing pressure from developers and New York City to not add the canal to the Superfund list, it is accepting public comments on the nomination. Riverkeeper urges you to ask your elected officials to … Learn More

On May 19, Riverkeeper served the Accord Speedway with a notice of its intent to sue for violating the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) by polluting a nearby stream and connected wetlands with turbid water. Riverkeeper believes the water contains pesticides, anti-freeze, oil, grease and other petroleum products. Learn More

On Friday, May 15, the long delayed clean-up of the Hudson River PCBs begin. Now Riverkeeper will keep a watchful eye on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make sure the entire clean-up occurs and that it is thorough. The first phase of the two-phase cleanup will last about six months and focus on the removal of approximately 265,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment – only 10% of the total amount of contaminated sediment originally slated for removal. A legal agreement between GE and EPA allows GE to determine if … Learn More

On April 14, Riverkeeper submitted comments to the Army Corps of Engineers, urging the Corps to deny a federal permit application to fill wetlands in the proposed Kent Manor development. The developer plans to fill wetlands on the property and wants to mitigate this impact by constructing wetlands adjacent to roads and other impervious surfaces without suitable buffer zones. Riverkeeper commented that filling existing wetlands and constructing wetlands near roads, without appropriate buffers, increases the likelihood that pollutants such as phosphorus will discharge into the Croton Falls Reservoir. Learn More