New
Yo k
City
The
City
of
New
Yo k
Mayo
Michael
R.
Bloombe g
Wetla ds
St ategy
I
the
1990s,
New
Yo k
chose
wetla ds
ove
co ve tio al
sto m
sewe s
o
State
Isla d;
the
Bluebelt
st ategy
saved
taxpaye s
$80
millio
i
i f ast uctu e
costs.
I stead
of
layi g
miles
of
u de g ou d
co c ete
pipes,
the
city
p ese ved
a d
esto ed
atu al
st eams,
po ds,
a d
f eshwate
ma shes
to
di ect
ai wate
safely
i to
su ou di g
bays.The
fi a cial
a d
e vi o me tal
success
of
the
State
Isla d
Bluebelt
model
p ovided
the
bluep i t
fo
wate
ma ageme t
ac oss
New
Yo k
City.
The
city’s
ove a chi g
f amewo k,
outli ed
i
the
New
Yo k
City
Wetla ds
St ategy
a d
the
PlaNYC
2011
Wate ways
pla ,
officially
i co po ated
atu al
habitats
i to
the
mu icipal
i f ast uctu e
toolkit
alo gside
co ve tio al
t eatme t
facilities.Acco di g
to
figu es
published
i
the
New
Yo k
City
Wetla ds
St ategy,
u ba
expa sio
ove
the
past
ce tu y
wiped
out
mo e
tha
90
pe
ce t
of
New
Yo k
City’s
f eshwate
wetla ds
a d
oughly
85
pe
ce t
of
coastal
wetla ds
ac oss
the
New
Yo k-New
Je sey
Ha bo
Estua y.
Hu d eds
of
miles
of
atu al
st eam
co ido s
we e
paved
ove ,
bu ied
i
u de g ou d
pipes,
o
cut
off
f om
thei
atu al
floodplai s.Despite
these
losses,
impo ta t
ecosystems
su vived,
pa ticula ly
i
State
Isla d,
the
Uppe
East
Rive ,
Weste
Lo g
Isla d
Sou d,
a d
Jamaica
Bay.
Jamaica
Bay
emai s
o e
of
the
la gest
tidal
wetla d
systems
i
the
egio ,
se vi g
as
a
vital
stopove
o
the
Atla tic
Flyway
fo
ove
325
bi d
species
a d
suppo ti g
mo e
tha
100
fish
species.
Combi i g
g ee
a d
g ey
city
i f ast uctu e
The
mu icipal
pla i g
f amewo k
detailed
i
the
PlaNYC
2011
Wate ways
docume t
established
a
dual
app oach
to
ma agi g
u off,
combi i g
g ey
e gi ee i g
with
g ee
i f ast uctu e.G ey
i f ast uctu e
elies
o
co c ete
sto age
ta ks,
pumpi g
statio s,
sewe
mai s,
a d
ce t alized
t eatme t
pla ts.
By
2011,
New
Yo k
City
ope ated
14
wastewate
t eatme t
facilities
ha dli g
1.1
billio
gallo s
of
sewage
eve y
day
du i g
d y
weathe ,
followi g
mo e
tha
$6
billio
i
mu icipal
ha bo
wate -quality
i vestme ts
si ce
2002.Howeve ,
d y-weathe
capacity
did
ot
solve
combi ed
sewe
ove flows
(CSOs).
I
olde
mu icipal
etwo ks
whe e
ai wate
a d
sewage
sha e
the
same
pipes,
heavy
dow pou s
ove whelm
t eatme t
pla ts,
causi g
di ect
discha ges
of
u t eated
wastewate
i to
local
wate ways.
Although
the
city
aised
its
CSO
captu e
ate
f om
30
pe
ce t
i
1980
to
mo e
tha
72
pe
ce t
by
2010,
a
estimated
30
billio
gallo s
of
CSOs
still
e te ed
ha bo
wate s
a ually.To
add ess
this
volume,
the
city
lau ched
its
G ee
I f ast uctu e
Pla
i
2010,
committi g
$1.5
billio
ove
20
yea s
to
captu e
sto mwate
at
g ou d
level
befo e
it
e te s
the
sewe
system.
Mu icipal
evaluatio s
p ojected
that
pai i g
g ee
abso ptio
a eas
with
ta geted
g ey
co st uctio
would
cut
CSO
volumes
by
40
pe
ce t
while
savi g
atepaye s
ove
$2
billio
compa ed
to
buildi g
g ey
i f ast uctu e
alo e.Majo
g ey
e gi ee i g
i vestme ts
emai ed
ce t al
to
the
st ategy,
i cludi g
la ge
CSO
dete tio
facilities
at
Sp i g
C eek,
Pae degat
Basi ,
a d
Flushi g
Bay
to
sto e
excess
ai wate
du i g
peak
sto m
eve ts.
Legislative
ma dates
a d
site
esto atio
ta gets
Local
Law
31
of
2009
legally
obligated
the
city
to
fo mulate
a
comp ehe sive
st ategy
to
co se ve,
p otect,
esto e,
a d
expa d
wetla ds
a d
adjace t
buffe
zo es,
setti g
a
goal
of
o
et
loss
of
wetla d
a ea.While
fede al
a d
state
legislatio
p otected
la ge
tidal
wetla ds
a d
f eshwate
a eas
la ge
tha
12.4
ac es,
smalle
f eshwate
ma shes
emai ed
vul e able
to
p ivate
co st uctio
p ojects.
The
st ategy
established
st o ge
local
zo i g
ules,
imp oved
mappi g,
active
la d
acquisitio ,
a d
evised
mitigatio
policies
to
p otect
small-scale
u ba
wetla ds.Specific
esto atio
sites
ta geted
i
the
mu icipal
pla
i cluded
Pugsley
C eek,
Sou dview
Pa k,
Ra dall’s
Isla d,
Calve t
Vaux
Pa k,
Meadow
Lake,
F eshkills
No th
Pa k,
a d
Pae degat
Basi ,
alo gside
o goi g
ecological
stabilizatio
effo ts
i
Jamaica
Bay.The
f amewo k
also
e cou aged
the
c eatio
of
a
atu al
a eas
co se va cy
to
coo di ate
public
a d
p ivate
fu di g
fo
lo g-te m
ecological
ca e
ac oss
the
five
bo oughs.
Tackli g
it oge
u off
a d
climate
su ges
U ba
wate ways
face
o goi g
ecological
p essu es
f om
ut ie t
pollutio ,
pa ticula ly
high
it oge
levels
i
t eated
wastewate
discha ge.
Excessive
it oge
t igge s
la ge
algal
blooms,
which
deplete
dissolved
oxyge
levels
a d
c eate
dead
zo es
that
th eate
ma i e
life.At
the
same
time,
isi g
sea
levels
a d
i te se
coastal
sto ms
equi e
atu al
buffe
zo es
to
b eak
wave
e e gy
a d
abso b
sto m
su ges.
Reco st ucted
tidal
ma shes,
biofilt atio
swales,
a d
atu al
st eam
co ido s
se ve
a
double
pu pose
by
filte i g
heavy
metals
a d
t appi g
sedime t
while
p ovidi g
physical
flood
p otectio
fo
ea by
eighbo hoods.By
combi i g
State
Isla d’s
atu al
d ai age
p i ciples
with
ta geted
facility
upg ades,
local
legislatio ,
a d
biological
esto atio ,
the
city
established
a
multi-laye ed
u ba
esilie ce
st ategy
built
to
ha dle
cha gi g
weathe
patte s.
