Bloomberg Seeks Comment on Stormwater Plan
New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced the release of a Draft Sustainable Stormwater Management Plan, a component of PlaNYC that examines and identifies immediate and long-term solutions to capture rain water before it overflows the sewer system, causes flooding and pollutes waterways.
"We designed PlaNYC to be a detailed roadmap for the city to meet the enormous challenges we will face as our population grows, our infrastructure ages, and our environment continues to be at risk," said Bloomberg. "Whether it's flooding or polluting our waterways, stormwater management is a necessary and critical facet of managing our city. Since its initial unveiling in April 2007, we've encouraged public participation in PlaNYC and we are now asking for New Yorker's input on this component of the plan."
The stormwater plan aims to, within two years, enact policies that will capture over one billion additional gallons of stormwater.
PlaNYC's water quality goal called for opening up 90 percent of city waterways for recreational use by reducing water pollution and preserving natural areas. To reduce water pollution from combined sewer overflows and stormwater runoff, PlaNYC called for a task force to coordinate stormwater planning issues and to create a plan to implement sustainable strategies citywide. Local Law 5 of 2008 formalized the city's commitment to create a Sustainable Stormwater Management Plan, requiring a completed formal plan by Dec. 1, 2008.
The draft can be found at www.nyc.gov. Public comments will be accepted until Oct. 31 and may be sent by e-mail to bmptaskforce@cityhall.nyc.gov.