Jamaica Bay Watershed Protection Plan New York City Department of Environmental Protection Emily Lloyd, Commissioner October 1, 2007 JAMAICA BAY WATERSHED PROTECTION PLAN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Importance of the Bay he value of Jamaica Bay is evident to all T who have watched a glowing sunset while on its waters, or a flight of waterfowl coasting in for a landing. The residents who grew up fishing along its shorelines, boating around the tidal marshes, or exploring the natural areas of the estuary will attest to the value of the Bay as an important part of their lives and their identities. At the same time, the Jamaica Bay landscape is a living-space, The Gateway National Recreation Area at work-space, and travel corridor. These two Jamaica Bay, despite its location in an values reflect an important aesthetic and ultra-urban environment, is a nationally and internationally renowned birding function, but represent only a fraction of the destination. Source: Don Riepe. myriad values and roles associated with Jamaica Bay. Because of its geographic size and very For thousands of years, Jamaica Bay has diverse functioning natural habitats, it is no served as an important ecological resource surprise that Jamaica Bay is a nationally and for flora and fauna. The Bay has evolved internationally renowned birding location. over the last 25,000 years as an important Jamaica Bay retains irreplaceable value for and complex network of open water, salt its self-sustaining ecological functions, as marsh, grasslands, coastal woodlands, well as the proximity of its assets by foot, maritime shrublands, brackish and rail and car to the urban metropolis. A walk freshwater wetlands. The wildlife use of along the beaches of Breezy Point or a these systems is commensurate with this kayaking adventure among the Bay’s complex network of natural systems. These wetland islands can be a true wilderness natural communities support 91 species of escape, with Manhattan as a backdrop. fish, 325 bird species (of which 62 are confirmed to breed locally) and are an important habitat for many species of Issues Facing the Bay reptiles, amphibians and mammals. The Bay is a critical stopover area along the The valuable resources that comprise Atlantic Flyway migration route and is one Jamaica Bay are being lost. The current of the best bird-watching locations in the Jamaica Bay estuary is only about half of its western hemisphere. The 20,000 acres of pre-colonial extent and the salt marsh water, islands, marshes, and shorelines wetlands that have been a defining support seasonal or year round populations ecological feature of the Bay are decreasing of 214 species of special concern, including at an accelerating rate. Over the last 150 state and federally endangered and years, interior wetland islands and perimeter threatened species. wetlands have been permanently removed as a result of extensive filling operations; Jamaica Bay Watershed Protection Plan shorelines have been hardened and NYCDEP and other City agencies, the bulkheaded to stabilize and protect existing Federal Government through the National communities and infrastructure; deep Park Service (NPS) and other federal channels and borrow areas have been agencies, and New York State through the dredged, altering bottom contours and New York State Department of affecting natural flows; and natural Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) tributaries along with their important and other state departments, have been benefits of balanced fresh water and coarse making considerable efforts to improve the sediment exchanges have essentially water quality of Jamaica Bay. These city, disappeared leaving behind deposits of silts state and federal agencies are taking steps to and particulates from urban runoff. The protect and restore the Bay’s ecological quality of the water is degraded from systems and are studying further options to discharges via Water Pollution Control improve the ecological values of the Bay’s Plants (WPCPs), combined sewer outfalls, watershed. Additionally, non-governmental and storm sewers. These activities have organizations, community groups, and synergistically affected historic flow individuals have dedicated countless hours patterns in the Bay, eradicated natural to improve conditions in the Bay and its habitat, impacted water quality, and watershed, and to encourage others to take modified the rich ecosystem that was present up that cause. This Plan builds upon the prior to the extensive urban development of positive impact made by the combined the watershed. energies and resources of all of these entities. Plan Purpose and Intent The Plan contains two volumes. Volume 1, Jamaica Bay Watershed Regional Profile, a Under Local Law 71 (LL 71), signed by comprehensive reference document for Mayor Bloomberg on July 20, 2005, the Jamaica Bay, provides information about the New York City Department of diverse landscape of the Bay and its Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) is watershed, water quality of the Bay and required to “assess the technical, legal, current status of the ecological system as a environmental and economical feasibility” whole. It also provides the information of a variety of protection measures as part of needed to identify issues of concern that the JBWPP development process. The face the Bay, setting the stage for objective of the bill is to ensure a developing strategies to address these issues comprehensive watershed approach toward in Volume 2. restoring and maintaining the water quality and ecological integrity of the Bay. The final Volume 2, the Watershed Protection Plan, is JBWPP is intended to provide an evaluation intended to serve as a blueprint for the future of the current and future threats to the Bay management of the Bay and its watershed. and ensure that environmental remediation Volume 2 starts with the vision for the Bay and protection efforts are coordinated in a and issues that need to be overcome to focused and cost-effective manner. LL 71 achieve the vision. For each of the issues, was amended (Introduction No. 376) on objectives for the Bay were developed and, August 16, 2006 to extend the development for each objective, strategies or actions are of the JBWPP by one year. Under that identified to address the objective. amendment, the Draft Jamaica Bay Watershed Protection Plan was completed Volume 2 includes six major “Categories” on March 1, 2007 and this Final Jamaica that identify the significant issues to be Bay Watershed Protection Plan has been addressed to restore the Bay including: submitted to the City Council on October 1, 2007. October 1, 2007 2 Jamaica Bay Watershed Protection Plan on sound development and infrastructure • Water Quality practices at multiple levels. • Restoration Ecology • Stormwater Management through Although there are many important steps Sound Land Use that individual citizens and individual • Public Education and Outreach agencies can take, significant additional • Public Use and Enjoyment resources and multi-agency cooperation will • Implementation and Coordination be needed to undertake this huge initiative. The solutions to the problems that face Volume 2 includes recommendations for the Jamaica Bay are not cheap. Despite a robust implementation of hard and soft capital investment program, NYCDEP’s infrastructure projects, innovative budget for capital investments is not alternatives, pilot studies, regulatory limitless and there are many competing initiatives and public outreach efforts. needs for these funds citywide. These Collectively these small and large projects dollars must be carefully programmed for will begin to address water quality and drinking water protection, infrastructure ecological issues facing Jamaica Bay. The repair and maintenance as well as for water following sections provide a brief discussion quality protection of all the City’s of the many Implementation Strategies that waterways. have been identified in the Plan. The Implementation Strategies are also In addition, many of the recommendations summarized on Table ES-1 at the end of this are outside NYCDEP’s authority or mission. Executive Summary. For many of these recommendations, NYCDEP recognizes the direct benefits to NYCDEP has traditionally solved the City’s the Bay that these strategies offer and will need for water and wastewater services with continue to work with other agencies and large, infrastructure solutions. Much of our entities to pursue them. However, other current infrastructure system is a testament City, state and federal agencies experience to these historic engineering marvels such as similar levels of financial responsibility to the City’s magnificent high quality drinking program limited funds throughout the City. water supply system and colossal Therefore, support for projects must be wastewater system that has led to major considered in the context of other agency improvements in the quality of the City’s mandates. Ultimately, the responsible parties waterbodies. Today, new infrastructure overseeing the Bay must share responsibility projects come at a significant cost, while for developing a financial plan for the Bay. achieving more modest incremental improvements. Therefore, the agency is The JBWPP is not a document that is fixed looking for decentralized and integrated in time. The issues facing the Bay are solutions that might be more financially and expected to evolve, and will be recognized environmentally sustainable. NYCDEP in regular Plan updates. Implementation for views sustainability as a central theme