Image Credit: Boat trip into the Dutch Kills tributary of Newtown Creek, J. Welch 2019
SWIM Public Meeting Recap:
SWIM held our first quarterly public meeting of 2021 in March. The public meeting was recorded so you can check it out on YouTube at the link below. Andhereis a link to our meeting report which contains timestamped links to the various topics we covered.
At the meeting, we reviewed SWIM's 2021 priority topics, NYC DEP provided important program updates (scroll down to see our notes and links on DEP's proposed modifications for several CSO LTCP's), and Newtown Creek Alliance gave a presentation on the Dutch Kills Loop project.
The Dutch Kills Loop project is an innovative, community-driven infrastructure re-use proposal for several underused city-owned properties that surround the Dutch Kills tributary of Newtown Creek. For more information, check out the project link here. This is a great model for other communities and waterway stewards around the city to implement!
As part of the Biden administration's American Jobs Plan legislation, NY's 7th Congressional District representative, Nydia Velázquez, has proposed the Public School Green Rooftop Program Bill (H.R. 1863) which would allocate $500 million to put green roofs on public schools across the US. Green roofs provide a multitude of environmental and social benefits, including green jobs and hands-on STEM learning opportunities. SWIM worked closely with our member, Gowanus Canal Conservancy, to inform the bill when it was first introduced. Please show your support for this important bill by using the link below:
Image credit: NYC DEP 2020 Annual Report. Click image to view report.
2020 Annual Report on NYC's Green Infrastructure Plan
For those who attended SWIM's public meeting you got a sneak peek! Thereportwas published on April 30. Here are a few highlights:
The City's GI plan experienced some pandemic related delays but the installation of assets continued throughout 2020. The city has constructed or is in the construction phase on 10,000 GI assets citywide.
DEP expects to catch up to the 2015 milestones for stormwater management with GI this year and will issue a contingency report ( in June 2021) for how they will catch up to the 2020 milestones and move forward on the 2025 milestone. *
We were excited to see progress on the installation of permeable pavement and porous concrete projects getting underway! See page 53 of the report.
*NOTE: The Goal and Milestones set forth for the GI Plan are:
Goal: Manage the first inch of stormwater runoff from 10% of the city's impervious surfaces (within the combined sewer area) with green infrastructure by 2030.
The aim of this goal is for the GI program to reduce 1.67 billion gallons of CSO discharges (out of the current ~20 billion annually) by 2030. Nearly half of the land targeted for this effort is on private property. Incentive programs and legislation to support installation of GI on private property will play an important role in the decade ahead, see pages 15 and 16 of the 2020 Annual Report for details on some of these elements.
The Milestones for the Goal are:
2015: Manage 1.5% of the stormwater runoff with GI, DEP expects to meet this milestone by the end of 2021
2020: Increased installation of GI to manage an additional 2.5% of the runoff
2025: Increased installation of GI to manage an additional 3.5%
2030: Increased installation of GI to manage a final 3% in order to reach the 10% goal
Delays in NYC’s CSO Long Term Control Plans:
Key infrastructure projects in some of the City’s CSO Long Term Control Plans (CSO LTCP) are experiencing pandemic related delays. Here is a time-stamped linkto DEP's presentation at the SWIM public meeting regarding their proposed modifications to some of the CSO Long Term Control Plans. They plan to host public meetings soon. DEP published their quarterly CSO LTCP report for first quarter 2021 last week with updates on each LTCP. To view the report, clickhere. The reports are difficult to decipher so we look forward to the City's public meetings!
Priority Districts for the Green Roof Tax Abatement:
Earlier this year, the Mayor's Office of Sustainability designated priority community districts in NYC where properties that install a green roof can receive a higher abatement amount. The image above is a map that shows the current priority areas where green roofs are needed most. Here is a link to the City's announcement about the priority areas and details on the criteria used to designate the priority areas.
As NYC gears up to implement the sustainable roof laws featured in the Climate Mobilization Act, green roofs will play a big role in meeting the City's 2030 stormwater management goals and 2050 carbon reduction goals. We'll need to have meaningful incentives in place to help folks meet the new requirements. Here is a link to a great blog post, by Brooklyn Greenroof's Inger Yancy, that sums up the current landscape nicely. Be sure to sign up below for the BEEX webinar on this topic!
Save the Date!
Tuesday, May 25, 9 A.M.: The Building Energy Exchange (BEEX) is hosting a webinar on Green Roofs as Equity Infrastructure as part of their Climate Mobilization series. Link to sign up here.
Tuesday, May 25 and Thursday, May 27, 5 P.M.: The NYC Planning Department is hosting two public meetings for the Comprehensive Waterfront Plan. If you're interested in attending, you can sign up here. If you have comments or suggestions, you can submit them via the plan's website here.
Thursday May 27, 4 P.M.: NYC DEP Public meeting to review their draft annual report for the City's Stormwater Management Plan for the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System. Registerherefor the meeting.
Air Quality Monitoring with Bronx River Alliance & Temboo
What can hyperlocal air quality data over time tell us? Can green buildings make immediate impacts on the air around them? And how can communities be empowered to protect themselves?
Two SWIM members,Bronx River Allianceand no-code environmental engagement platformTemboo, have teamed up to answer these questions and more by deploying sensors to track particulate matter and carbon dioxide levels around the Alliance's innovative "green" offices in Starlight Park.
One particularly exciting aspect of the project is a special hyperlocal version of Temboo’s Daily Breather email service for the Bronx River Alliance community. It sends personalized summaries and alerts to anyone signed up to keep them informed about the air quality and what they can do to address it, at both the individual and neighborhood level. Read more about the projecthereand sign up to receive air quality reports from The Daily Breatherhere.
