Preserve River Ecology - Latest Developments

On November 22, 2010, Riverkeeper and other environmental organizations signed a settlement agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that resolves two lawsuits brought against the EPA in 1993 and 2006 addressing the agency’s failure to issue regulations implementing Section 316(b) of the Clean Water Act.

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On August 16, 2010 Riverkeeper and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), joined by New York/New Jersey Baykeeper and Long Island Soundkeeper, filed an appeal in New York Supreme Court challenging a decision by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to issue final permits for NYC sewage treatment plants that fail to include enforceable timelines for reducing raw sewage discharges from the city’s fourteen sewage treatment plants.

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An initial call of a small fish kill was received by the DEC on 7/13/2010. Early details on the exact number and location of the dead fish were uncertain at that time.

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American shad and river herring populations are at historic lows coast-wide. In the Hudson River, the shad fishery which dates back to colonial times was recently closed due to dwindling populations, a tragic loss for New York State. River herring populations also are in long term decline.

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American shad and river herring populations are at historic lows coast-wide. Ocean bycatch in industrial scale trawl fisheries may be a huge cause of this decline. Send the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council your comment now!

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In a major victory for American shad coast-wide, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) has approved Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Shad and River Herring. To protect coast-wide shad populations, shad fisheries will be closed except in states that demonstrate through research that their commercial and/or recreational fisheries will not diminish the potential future stock reproduction and recruitment. Amendment 3 will require all states to have management plans completed and approved by January 1, 2013, otherwise closures will be instituted on a state-by-state basis. Riverkeeper […]

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Riverkeeper kicked off the new year by submitting comments to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) supporting the closure of the Hudson River American shad fisheries and restrictions on American shad fishing in the Delaware River.

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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.

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In a significant victory for environmentalists concerned about the proposal to build a desalination plant in Rockland County, using Hudson River water, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is requiring the applicant, United Water New York, to provide detailed information on alternatives, including water conservation, loss minimization and minimization of demand.

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