Protecting Public Water Systems In The Hudson Valley

A bill going through the legislature in Albany would protect the small tributaries that flow into local lakes and streams and affect the water supply in Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties as well as across New York.

These are just a few of the streams to be protected:

• Tributaries of Lake Secor, Lake Mahopac, Lake Carmel and all the sections of the Croton Reservoir
• Furnace Brook
• Pascack Brook
• Saddle River
• Jenning Creek
• Sing Sing Creek
• Sparkill Creek
• Rondout River
• Minisenengo Creek
• Woodbury Creek
• Rhinebeck Kill
• Saw Mill River
• Fishkill Creek
• Beaver Kill
• Hackensack River, east branch

The bill seeks to start state-level protection of small streams since the federal government rolled back protections in January.

Adding Class C streams to the waterways included in the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Protection of Waters Regulatory Program means that work in, over and around them will need permits, including putting in fill, lowering stream banks, digging up gravel, and building construction projects.

More than 11.2 million New Yorkers are dependent on public water systems that rely on small streams to supply clean drinking water, said New York State Senator Pete Harckham and Assemblyman Sean Ryan, who are co-sponsoring the legislation.

In addition, a recent DEC Angler Survey showed that New York State freshwater sport fisheries generate more than $2 billion a year and support nearly 11,000 jobs statewide, so it’s important for New York State to preserve and protect its Class C waterways, they said.

“As responsible stewards of our environment, we must always look for opportunities to increase our efforts to safeguard the streams and watersheds around us, and that’s what this legislation does,” said Harckham. “It also maintains the quality of our drinking water around the state while still allowing residents to enjoy fishing, boating and non-contact activities on certain waterways.”