CITYWIDE — NEW YORK CITY must now notify the public when it discharges raw sewage and polluted stormwater into local waterways, an appellate court ruled on Wednesday.
Though the city discharges over 20 billion gallons of polluted water each year into waterways around all five boroughs through its Combined Sewer Overflow system, the city hadn’t been notifying the public every time one of these discharge events occurred. Residents who live near or recreate on the water will now have a better awareness of potential health risks, as the city will issue discharge notices under the Sewage Pollution Right to Know Act.
A coalition of environmental groups including Riverkeeper, Newtown Creek Alliance and NY/NJ Baykeeper called this ruling a major win for public health and transparency.
The group continues to call for less dumping into New York City’s waterways and improved sewage infrastructure across the city.
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