Attendees: Joan Salome-Rodriguez, Eymund Diegel, Richard Lawrence, Joseph Alexiou, Louis Kleinman, Erica Eliason, Aaron Kaufman
The Committee discussed the following:
1. Water Quality will begin to review materials in order to prepare written comments related to the below public notice from DEC:
Public Notice
Advanced Notice of Proposed Rule Making – NYS Triennial Review of Water Quality Standards
Notice is hereby given that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) has published an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rule Making (ANPRM) in the New York State Register on May 8, 2024. The ANPRM solicits public input toward NYSDEC’s Triennial Review of Water Quality Standards (WQS). Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 303(c) and 40 CFR 131.20 include requirements for states to perform a formal regulatory review of WQS every three years, known as the Triennial Review. The Triennial Review is an opportunity for the NYS DEC to integrate the best available science and methods into WQS to protect the waters of the State. Regulations subject to Triennial Review are any that direct the water quality standards, waterbody classification, and antidegradation policies and actions of the State. The effort may result in amendments to water quality standards found in 6 NYCRR Parts 700-706.
The ANPRM document can be viewed at https://dec.ny.gov/environmental-protection/water/water-quality/standards-classifications/ANPRM-triennial-review-of-water-quality-standards. The public may submit input and feedback in response to the ANPRM through November 4, 2024.
The ANPRM is not a regulatory action, but an opportunity to gather stakeholder input to inform future regulatory changes, if appropriate. As such, there are no regulatory impacts and no need for a rule making hearing.
Public Information Meetings
NYS DEC plans to hold three public information meetings to supplement the ANPRM effort. The information meetings are staggered within the input period to provide better assistance to the public in their effort to assemble useable information for submission.
The first public information meeting will be held on June 17, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. The meeting will be held via webinar. Details on registering and connecting to the webinar will be provided at https://dec.ny.gov/environmental-protection/water/water-quality/standards-classifications/ANPRM-triennial-review-of-water-quality-standards.
The second public information meeting will be held on July 16, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will be held via webinar. Details on registering and connecting to the webinar will be provided at https://dec.ny.gov/environmental-protection/water/water-quality/standards-classifications/ANPRM-triennial-review-of-water-quality-standards.
The third and final public information meeting will be held in-person at the following date, time, and location:
Date: August 20, 2024
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Address: NYSDEC – Central Office
Room PA129
625 Broadway
Albany, NY 12233
Public Input Solicitation
The input solicitation period opens on the date of publication in the State Register, May 8, 2024, and will remain open for 180 days. Responses to the ANPRM questions and supporting information may be submitted to: Michelle Tompkin, NYS DEC – Division of Water, 625 Broadway, 4th Floor, Albany, NY 12233-3500, or by email to WQSrulemakings@dec.ny.gov. Written statements must be submitted to the NYS DEC by midnight on November 4, 2024.
Input received at the ANPRM public meetings will also be recorded and given equal consideration.
Environmental and Regulatory Impact Review
The ANPRM is an information gathering exercise, not a regulatory action; therefore, it has no regulatory impact in and of itself. Future rule making efforts based on information gathered through the ANPRM, if any, may or may not have a regulatory impact associated with them, and those impacts will be assessed and shared with the public when the rule makings, if appropriate, are noticed.
Available Documents
The ANPRM is available on the NYSDEC website at https://dec.ny.gov/environmental-protection/water/water-quality/standar… or from the contact listed below.
Primary Contact
Gwendolyn Temple
NYS DEC – Division of Water
625 Broadway
Albany, NY 12233-3500
Phone: (518) 402-8194
2. Joseph Alexiou will prepare an inquiry for Water Quality review regarding potential cuts to the City’s Long Term Control Plan affecting sewers and combined sewage overflows.
3. Eymund Diegel will prepare an inquiry for Water Quality review regarding the article below. The Department of Environmental Protection hired the US Geological Survey to collect scientific data on the depth of the water table as a first step to understanding the landscape and how factors like rain, sea-level rise and projects to manage stormwater affect the groundwater. The USGS is apparently testing wells in Red Hook. We want to know if they are also checking in our area (and, eventually whether the data will be made public).
Rebooted Groundwater Monitoring Could Help Soggy Neighborhoods Fight Flooding
4. We looked at photos of Amsterdam canals that have ladders for egress in an emergency and have plantings in the steel bulkheads. Though CAG’s comments have gone in to the NRDA already, we should continue to push for the ladders and the plantings.
5. Joan will begin to prepare an inquiry (to EPA and possibly to DEC & the City) as to whether the plume[s] have expanded – ideally, we would like a plume study. Whether the plumes may damage the remedy in the Canal would be the central core of the inquiry.
6. Finally, Joan informed the group that the July 1 meeting may have to be rescheduled to July 8 because she will be in Baltimore moving a friend. Richard would like help moving a piano (LOL).