The NYS Environmental Facilities Corporation and Albany Mayor Gerald D. Jennings Raise Water Quality Awareness

ALBANY, NY (04/22/2008)(readMedia)-- In celebration of Earth Day, New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC) Acting President Matthew J. Millea and City of Albany Mayor Gerald D. Jennings today kicked off a storm drain marking event on North Pearl Street in downtown Albany.

Mr. Millea and Mr. Jennings marked the first storm drain at the corner of North Pearl and Orange Streets with a brightly colored plastic medallion that reads “Don’t Dump: Drains to Hudson River.” A group of 20 volunteers from EFC and the State Department of Environmental Conservation then continued south to mark an additional 30 drains and provide pamphlets about pollution prevention and the storm drain markers to local businesses.

“As members of the downtown Albany business community, EFC is thrilled to celebrate Earth Day with Mayor Jennings and help to bring attention to the City of Albany’s ongoing efforts to protect and improve the water quality of the Hudson River,” said Mr. Millea. “Our message for Earth Day 2008 is that storm drains should not be used as trash receptacles; litter and other pollutants thrown down these drains end up in our waterways harming plant life, fish and our state’s precious drinking water resources.”

"The simple act of marking the City's storm drains helps to remind everyone that water and other materials going into our catch basins end up in our rivers and streams," said Mayor Jennings. "In addition, now that the weather is warmer, many of us are using fertilizers to make our lawns green. Unfortunately, when fertilizer ends up in the catch basins--and eventually the rivers and streams--it promotes the growth of algae and plant life in those water bodies, depleting oxygen needed for aquatic life. So, the marking of catch basins can have major ramifications for our overall environment, and help to preserve the wonderful Hudson River and other streams we are blessed with in the Capital District."

Storm drains are designed to drain excess rain and other precipitation from paved streets, parking lots, sidewalks and roofs to help prevent flooding. They often are not connected to sewage treatment plants and discharge into local water bodies. As a result, any pollutants that are dumped into a storm drain, such as motor oil, animal waste, litter, pharmaceuticals and even hazardous wastes, can end up in local water bodies, such as the Hudson River.

EFC coordinated today’s Earth Day event with the City of Albany, the City of Albany Water Department, the Albany County Intermunicipal Stormwater Committee, and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. The storm drain markers were kindly provided by the Hudson River Estuary Program and the Albany County Intermunicipal Stormwater Committee, with funding support from the NYS Environmental Protection Fund.

EFC is a State public benefit corporation that provides low cost financing and technical assistance for sewer and drinking water infrastructure projects throughout the State. Through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which EFC administers on behalf of the State, EFC has provided over $11 billion in below market financing for over 1,300 wastewater projects. Many of these projects address stormwater problems.

Stormwater is one of the leading causes of water pollution in the United States. Since 2003, municipalities have been subject to stormwater regulations implemented by the U.S. EPA which require development of a stormwater management program to prevent pollution from stormwater runoff. Storm drain marking is designed to assist municipalities in complying with the stormwater permit program authorized by the Federal Clean Water Act. The Capital District area is addressing stormwater compliance through a intermunicipal cooperative agreement between the communities within the “Albany Pool” of the Hudson River and the Capital District Regional Planning Commission (CDRPC). Communities within the Albany Pool include the cities of Albany, Cohoes, Rensselaer, Troy and Watervliet; and the Village of Green Island. The consortium is developing a long-term plan to control pollution from Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) from stormwater and sanitary sewers. To undertake this initiative CDRPC has received two grants from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund totaling $2.45 million, two grants totaling $673,293 from the NYS Department of State’s Shared Municipal Services Incentive program and an $80,000 grant from the U.S. EPA. The funding will be used to prepare a long-term pollution control plan for the Albany Pool.

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Posted Tuesday April 22, 2008 at 10:15 am by New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation