Riverkeeper to Present Testimony at NYC Council Hearing on Post-Sandy Resiliency Planning and Legislation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tina Posterli, 914-478-4501 x 239, [email protected]
Ossining, NY – June 27, 2013 – Riverkeeper will provide prospective on the City Council’s proposed local laws addressing the current and future resiliency of New York City’s infrastructure in the wake of Superstorm Sandy beginning at 10:00 a.m. at City Hall.
Riverkeeper strongly supports Mayor Bloomberg and the City Council’s efforts to take concrete steps to better prepare the city and its residents for future severe storms and sea level rise, and has provided input directly to the city on the preparation of the Special Initiative for Rebuilding and Resiliency (SIRR) report, as well as the ongoing Open Industrial Uses Study (OIUS).
At today’s hearing, Riverkeeper will present testimony focused on recommendations in the report that would impact the Hudson River and Upper New York Harbor directly. Highlights of Riverkeeper’s testimony will include:
- Supporting the SIRR report’s recommendations to restore wetlands, natural shorelines and reefs to better absorb the volume and strength of storm surges, and encouraging the city to look for additional opportunities to maximize natural infrastructure to best effect.
- Raising concerns about the impacts that proposed permanent in-water storm barriers at Newtown Creek, the Gowanus Canal and Rockaway Inlet could have on water quality in the Hudson River Estuary, and the possibility of unintended consequences that may arise from using such barriers on waterways that are plagued with high volumes of combined sewer overflow pollution.
- Calling for the city to focus its efforts on making Manhattan as resilient and sustainable as possible, without expanding Manhattan’s land area at the expense of the Harbor. Specifically, Riverkeeper will express concerns about Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal to build “Seaport City” on landfill on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
