New York Harbor Is The Cleanest It Has Been In A Century: Study

FINANCIAL DISTRICT, NY — The water quality in New York Harbor is the cleanest it has been in nearly 110 years, according to a new report by the city's Department of Environmental Protection.

Investments in the city's sewer infrastructure and ecological restoration has lead to higher levels of dissolved oxygen and lower levels of certain bacteria, helping the harbor thrive, according to the city's 2017 New York Harbor Water Quality Report.

"This investment, over time, has produced many ecological successes, ushering in the return of a variety of plant and animal species to our waters – including whales," wrote DEP Commissioner Vincent Sapienza in the report. "It has also allowed for the redevelopment of vast swaths of our waterfront and numerous recreational opportunities for residents and visitors."

The city's efforts have helped the level of dissolved oxygen climb, which is crucial for aquatic organisms to respire, and have lowered levels of human and animal waste. One way the city has decreased fecal matter in the water is through upgrading New York's dated sewage infrastructure.

The Department of Environmental Protection has invested $4.1 billion in the city's combined sewer system to limit the runoff of raw sewage into waterways during heavy rainfall.

On dry days, the city's 14 wastewater treatment facilities can manage and treat the water to federal Clean Water Act standards. But during a downpour, untreated sewage will overflow into waterways as not to flood treatment facilities and backup wastewater into homes and businesses.

Through upgrading treatment facilities, expanding and separating storm sewers and constructing sewage overflow tanks, the rate at which the sewer system captures muck from spilling into public waterways has jumped from 30 percent in the 1980s to more than 80 percent in 2018.

The city has committed an additional $4.4 billion to improve combined sewage overflow.

Programs aimed at restoring and protecting the harbor's marine ecosystems have also boosted water quality, including the restoration of more than 50 acres of native wetlands.

The city has monitored the health of New York Harbor through its Harbor Survey Program, which has expanded to 89 monitoring stations across tributaries and open water, since 1909.

Photo courtesy of Caroline Spivack/Patch