watershed

Riverkeeper Salutes Paterson for Phasing Out Bottled Water

gchambers@riverkeeper.org — Wed, 06 May 2009 14:49:12 -0400

May 6, 2009 (Tarrytown, NY) – Riverkeeper applauds Gov. David A. Paterson for making the environment a top priority by signing an Executive Order phasing out New York State’s purchase and use of bottled water. The Order will gradually stop government spending on single serve as well as cooler-size water bottles that state agencies use. It also requires each executive agency to stop buying bottled water and to make ordinary tap water available, through water fountains and dispensers.

This policy change is a major win for Riverkeeper, which joined a coalition of environmental groups in lobbying the state to stop buying and using bottled water in state agencies.

“We are pleased that Governor Paterson is making New York a leader in curbing our national addiction to bottled water,” said Hudson Riverkeeper Alex Matthiessen. “For decades, we have turned our back on municipal water in favor of bottled water which has been bad for our environment and bad for our wallets. Take our water fountains – in both office buildings and public spaces – which have fallen into disrepair, depriving New Yorkers of easy access to New York’s safe and delicious municipal drinking water. Governor Paterson’s order gives us the incentive to reinvest in our public water supply and deliver systems.”

Last year, Riverkeeper launched a tap water campaign to educate New Yorkers about the health, economic and environmental benefits of drinking tap water. Riverkeeper is the public watchdog of the New York City watershed, which supplies up to 1.5 billion gallons of unfiltered, top-quality drinking water per day to more than 9 million people. Tap water is actually safer than bottled water, because it is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency and is tested multiple times each day, while no government agency tests bottled water.

Bottled water is also a thousand times more expensive than tap water, and its production and transportation across hundreds or thousands of miles causes pollution, which contributes to global warming. Plus, approximately 85% of the empty plastic water bottles in the U.S. end up in the garbage instead of being recycled, adding about 2 million tons of plastic bottles in U.S. landfills each year. New York is now the third state to end the purchase and use of bottled water.

Riverkeeper is an independent member-supported environmental organization. Riverkeeper’s mission is to protect the Hudson River, and its tributaries, and the New York City drinking water supply.

For more information, please visit www.riverkeeper.org.

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Riverkeeper Press Room

While searching for new fuels, leave New York's drinking water alone

gchambers@riverkeeper.org — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:39:57 -0500

Daily News - Op Ed - By Alex Matthiessen

Wednesday, March 4th 2009, 4:00 AM

www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/03/04/2009-03-04_while_searching_for_new_fuels_leave_new_.html

Riverkeeper Press Room

MSNBC - Tap local resources, not bottled water

gchambers@riverkeeper.org — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:51:45 -0500

Bottled isn’t necessarily safer than tap — and it’s definitely less eco-friendly

By Marisa BelgerTODAYShow.com contributor

www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27785919/

Riverkeeper Press Room

Press Release: Riverkeeper Attorney to Testify at Gas Drilling Hearing

gchambers@riverkeeper.org — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:15:34 -0500

Riverkeeper Attorney to Testify at Emergency Public Hearing
On Natural Gas Drilling Within NYC Watershed

On September 10, Riverkeeper attorney Jay Simpson will testify before the New York City Council Environmental Protection Committee’s emergency public hearing on natural gas drilling within the NYC Watershed. Riverkeeper applauds New York State’s decision to conduct a supplemental review of gas drilling’s environmental impacts throughout New York State; however the NYC Watershed, as the source of drinking water for half the state’s population, is the state’s greatest natural resource and warrants special protection. Riverkeeper welcomes the City Council’s attention to this issue and encourages the public to participate.

Robert Goldstein, Riverkeeper’s General Counsel, stated, “This hearing is critical so that the public can learn about the potential impacts of natural gas drilling on the NYC Watershed. We still have much to learn about the gas drilling process called hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking”— the jury is still out on it. But we know for certain that the disruptive surface activity that would accompany any drilling process in the watershed would irreparably damage our precious unfiltered drinking water supply.”

James L. Simpson, Staff Attorney with Riverkeeper’s Watershed Program, said, ”We encourage consumers of New York City’s award winning tap water to participate in this important hearing. As we transform our energy policy, it is critical that we not trample upon critical natural resources.”

The City Council's Environmental Protection Committee emergency hearing on gas drilling will be held at 1pm on Wednesday, September 10 at 250 Broadway, 14th Floor in New York City. The public is invited to attend. Anyone may also submit testimony to the hearing by emailing jgennaro@council.nyc.gov.

ABOUT RIVERKEEPER: Riverkeeper is an independent member supported environmental organization that has an historic presence protecting the New York City Watershed, including helping to craft the MOA. Riverkeeper’s mission is to protect the Hudson River, the New York City drinking water supply, and the public’s right to clean water and healthy communities. For more information, please visit www.riverkeeper.org.

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Riverkeeper Press Room

Riverkeeper calls on Gov. Paterson

gchambers@riverkeeper.org — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:58:58 -0400

August 13th, 2008
Riverkeeper calls on Gov. Paterson

NYS Governor David Paterson

Tarrytown - At a press conference with Queens City Councilman Gennaro today, Riverkeeper called on Governor Paterson to designate the New York City Watershed permanently "off-limits" for natural gas drilling. "Riverkeeper agrees with the state’s decision to update its outdated environmental review for gas drilling in New York’s portion of the vast Marcellus Shale formation. The state must take the logical next step and enact a ban on gas drilling in the NYC Watershed," said Phillip Musegaas, Riverkeeper Policy Director.

According to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, the entire West-of-Hudson portion of the NYC Watershed sits on top of the Marcellus Shale, a geologic formation containing natural gas that underlies portions of New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and other states. To extract the natural gas from the shale, oil companies would inject toxic chemicals, sand, and up to one million gallons of water under high pressure into shale formations. This toxic brew would then be extracted, or leaked to the surface, potentially posing a risk of contaminating local groundwater, and the city’s drinking water reservoirs.

In 1997, New York State, Riverkeeper and numerous other parties signed the historic NYC Watershed Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) which recognized that clean drinking water is vital to the health, social and economic well-being of all New Yorkers and must be protected.

"The state must honor its commitment in the MOA to protect this critical resource, which supplies half the state’s population with unfiltered drinking water on a daily basis. It is our duty to safeguard this water supply for all current and future generations," said James L. Simpson, Staff Attorney with Riverkeeper’s Watershed Program. "If gas drilling contaminates the reservoirs, New York’s filtration avoidance determination (FAD) would be put at risk, potentially costing the city $10 billion to build a filtration plant," said Mr. Simpson.

"It’s important to look for new and alternative sources of energy, but not at the expense of drinking water quality, not at the expense of New York’s watershed areas and not at the expense of city taxpayers to the tune of billions of dollars," said New York City Councilman James F. Gennaro, City Council Environmental Protection Committee Chair.

About Riverkeeper

Riverkeeper is an independent member-supported environmental organization. Riverkeeper’s mission is to protect the ecological integrity of the Hudson River and its tributaries, and to safeguard the drinking water supply of New York City and the lower Hudson Valley. For more information, please visit www.riverkeeper.org

Riverkeeper Press Room