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Division of Water

Mark Klotz, Director
Tom Cullen, Assistant Director

a photo of Loon Lake at sunset
Loon Lake at sunset

Welcome to the Division of Water Web Page! The Division conducts a wide variety of programs to protect and conserve New York's waters. On this page you will find what the division has been involved with recently and other useful information about the division's work.

What's New in the Division of Water?

Public Meeting & Comment Period for Newtown Creek WWFP

DEC and the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will hold a public meeting to discuss the Combined Sewer Overflow Waterbody/Watershed Facility Plan (WWFP) developed by DEP for Newtown Creek.

Meeting details: Wednesday, February 22, 2012, 6:30 PM, Newtown Creek Visitor Center, 329 Greenpoint Avenue, 2nd Floor, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY. Enter at the intersection of Greenpoint Avenue and Humboldt Street.

In addition to the meeting, a public comment period for the WWFP will run from February 9-March 9, 2012.

More about the public meeting and comment period

Information about the public meetings and comment period is in the February 8, 2012 Environmental Notice Bulletin. The ENB announcement has instructions for obtaining a copy of the WWFP and for submitting comments.

More about the WWFP

The Waterbody/Watershed Facility Plan for Newtown Creek outlines the work that has been done to-date and future plans for improving water quality in Newtown Creek. This work stems from a 2005 Consent Order that required NYC to reduce combined sewer overflows from its sewer system.

Projects Funded by ARRA/CWA Section 604(b) Grant

DEC has updated information on its website about two of the projects that received grants from funds made available from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA or Stimulus) in 2009.

  • The Interstate Environmental Commission received $28,500 from DEC to develop a regional Geographic Information System (GIS)-based map of the stormwater conveyance features of an MS4 in a sub-watershed of the Croton/Kensico watersheds. This project is finished and the final report is available on DEC's website. Visit the MS4 Survey of Croton-Kensico Watershed webpage for more information.
  • The Herkimer-Oneida Counties Comprehensive Planning Program received $95,000 from DEC to: coordinate the statewide release of a web content management system for stormwater management programs; develop standardized procedures for mapping stormwater systems and sewersheds; and develop a regional storm sewer system mapping and information management system. This project is finished and the final report is available on DEC's website. Visit the Stormwater Information Technology Program webpage for more information.

The federal deadline for completing the ARRA-funded projects is February 2012. Eleven projects were funded through the ARRA/CWA Section 604(b) grant and all are on target to be completed on time. As the projects are completed, the project profile pages will be updated and the final reports will be posted.

More about the ARRA/CWA Section 604(b) Grant

Visit the ARRA/CWA Section 604(b) Project Profiles webpage to see profiles on all 11 projects funded by the ARRA/CWA Section 604(b) grant.

Applications Available for 2012 N.G. Kaul Memorial Scholarship

The application period for the 2012 N.G. Kaul Memorial Scholarship Fund is now open. Applications are due to the New York Water Environment Association (NYWEA) by February 28, 2012. Visit the NYWEA website to download the application (a direct link is in the "Links Leaving DEC's website" section of the right-hand column of this page).

The N.G. Kaul Memorial Scholarship Fund will offer at least $2,500 in scholarships to students pursuing graduate or doctoral degrees in environmental or civil engineering, or environmental science concentrating on water quality, who show a commitment to government service.

Hurricane Irene -- Tropical Storm Lee Flood Recovery Grants

Flood Mitigation Grant Program

Applications are being accepted from New York counties for funding for flood mitigation and flood control projects in creeks, streams, and brooks impacted by Hurricane Irene and/or Tropical Storm Lee. Applications must be postmarked and emailed by April 11, 2012. Visit the Hurricane Irene - Tropical Storm Lee Flood Mitigation Grant Program webpage for more information.

This program is administered by the Empire State Development Corporation (ESD) in collaboration with DEC and is open to the 37 counties included in the federal disaster declaration. Grants will range from a minimum of $300,000, to a maximum of $500,000.

Business Flood Recovery Grant Program

Empire State Development is administering another grant program - the Hurricane Irene-Tropical Storm Lee Business Flood Recovery Grant Program. Small businesses, not-for-profit organizations, farms, or owners of multiple dwellings that were damaged by Hurricane Irene or Tropical Storm Lee are eligible for funding under this program. Grants of up to $20,000 will be awarded. Applications are due by March 16, 2012. A direct link to the ESD webpage is in the "Links Leaving DEC's Website" section of the right-hand column of this page.

Water Articles in ClearWaters by DOW Staff

Published articles related to DEC's State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) program and the Citizens Statewide Lake Assessment Program (CSLAP) are available. These columns were originally published in the magazine ClearWaters.

Visit the Articles about Water by DEC Staff webpage to read the columns. The SPDES articles are under the "State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES)" header and the CSLAP article is under the "Watersheds, Lakes, Rivers" header.

More about ClearWaters

ClearWaters is the quarterly publication of the New York Water Environment Association (NYWEA). A direct link to the NYWEA website is in the "Links Leaving DEC's Website" section of the right-hand column of this page. The Division of Water regularly provides columns for ClearWaters.

Public Meetings & Comment Period for Flushing Bay & Creek and Westchester Creek Documents

DEC and the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) held two public meetings to discuss Combined Sewer Overflow Waterbody/Watershed Facility Plans (WWFP) developed by DEP for Flushing Bay, Flushing Creek and Westchester Creek:

  • Flushing Bay & Creek: Thursday, January 19 at 6:30 PM at the NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation's Al Oerter Recreation Center Multi-Purpose Room, 131-40 Fowler Avenue, Flushing, NY.
  • Westchester Creek: Tuesday, January 24 at 6:30 PM at the Riverbay Community Center, 2049 Bartow Avenue, Room 31, Bronx, NY.

In addition to the meetings, a public comment period for all of the WWFPs is open from January 19-February 17, 2012.

More about the public meetings and comment period

Information about the public meetings and comment period is in the January 18, 2012 Environmental Notice Bulletin.

More about the WWFPs

The Waterbody/Watershed Facility Plans for Flushing Bay and Creek, and Westchester Creek outline the work that has been done to-date and future plans for improving water quality in those waterbodies. This work stems from a 2005 Consent Order that required NYC to reduce combined sewer overflows from its sewer system.

Public Comment Period for 2012 Draft CWA Section 303(d) List and New York's CALM

The Draft New York State 2012 Section 303(d) List of Impaired/TMDL Waters is now available for public comment. The Division of Water will accept comments until close of business on March 2, 2012.

The Section 303(d) List of Impaired/TMDL Waters identifies waterbodies that do not support their designated best use. This list is updated every two years and the DOW must submit a new list to EPA by April 1, 2012.

In addition, two components of New York's Consolidated Assessment and Listing Methodology (CALM) are also available for public comment. The Consolidated Assessment and Listing Methodology outlines New York's process for monitoring and assessing the quality of New York's waterbodies, and for the development of the Section 303(d) List.

How do I comment on the Section 303(d) List and the CALM?

For more information about commenting, including instructions on how to submit comments, visit the 303(d) List of Impaired/TMDL Waters webpage. Scroll down to the last two headers on the page: "Consolidated Assessment and Listing Methodology" and "The DRAFT 2012 NYS Section 303(d) List."

New HRECOS Monitoring Station on the Mohawk River

The Hudson River Environmental Conditions Observing System (HRECOS) has added a new station at Lock 8 on the Mohawk River near Schenectady that will offer real-time information about river conditions.

The new station will benefit baseline modeling, flood predictions and education in the Mohawk Valley. The National Weather Service will use data from the Mohawk station to help provide forecasts and flood warnings.

This station is supported by the National Weather Service, Union College, the Schoharie River Center, the Schenectady County Office of Emergency Management, USGS, and DEC.

About the HRECOS

The Hudson River Environmental Conditions Observing System is a network of 9 real-time monitoring stations along the Hudson and now, Mohawk rivers. The stations are geographically distributed from Lock 8 on the Mohawk, to the New York/New Jersey harbor at the mouth of the Hudson. The HRECOS monitors river conditions every 15 minutes. Real-time data can be found on the HRECOS website. A direct link is in the "Links Leaving DEC's Website" section of the right-hand column of this page.

Winners Announced for the 8th Annual Environmental Excellence Awards

The 8th annual Environmental Excellence Awards were presented last month at the Healthy Economy and Environment Conference. There were five recipients of the 2011 award. Read the DEC press release to learn more about the innovative projects that won awards for 2011. Applications for the 2012 Environmental Excellence Awards will be available in the spring of 2012.

More about the Environmental Excellence Awards program

The Environmental Excellence Awards Program honors businesses, non-governmental organizations, educational facilities, governments/municipalities, and individuals that have made great strides in improving and protecting New York State's environment through innovative and environmentally sustainable practices or creative partnerships.

Final Kinderhook Lake Phosphorus TMDL

The DOW has issued a final Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for phosphorus in Kinderhook Lake.

Visit the DEC TMDL webpage to download a PDF version of the TMDL document. Both the draft version (dated August 2011) and the final version (dated September 15, 2011) are available under the "Small Lakes/Phosphorus" heading.

The Kinderhook Lake TMDL relies on voluntary load reductions from septic systems, the agricultural community and developed land, and permit limits for Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems to address the existing phosphorus water quality impairment.

Recent Articles about Water by DEC Staff

Division staff wrote several articles for the Summer issue of Clearwaters, the quarterly publication of the New York Water Environment Association. The topic of the Summer issue is SPDES Permit Compliance and Enforcement. Staff wrote articles on topics such as:

We are building the web page, Articles about Water by DEC Staff, to house all the articles division staff and others in the department have written recently. Visit it often to see additional articles that will be posted.

Division Web Pages

Carpenter Falls
Carpenter Falls

The Division of Water's information on the web falls mainly into one of the two following locations:

  • Water Pollution Control - Information, guidance material and forms on the various programs the Division of Water administers to control sources of water pollution.
  • Lands and Waters - Water resource information is divided into the following categories:
    • Watersheds, Lakes Rivers: Information on NYS watersheds and other water bodies
    • Oceans & Estuaries: NYS marine and estuary resource information
    • Groundwater: Aquifer and groundwater information & resources
    • Dam Safety, Coastal & Flood Protection: Program information related to flood protection, floodplain development, dam safety, and coastal management
    • Water Supply & Reclamation: Information on protecting New York's public water supplies and drought information

Division's Mission

The Mission of the Division of Water is to protect and conserve the water resources of New York State. This mission is accomplished through a wide range of programs and activities. Some of these are statewide in their scope and apply to all parts of the state. Other efforts are targeted to address water quality and quantity issues in specific regions of the state, focusing on waterbodies or watersheds where these issues are of particular concern. Still other programs target specific contaminants (e.g., mercury) or sources (e.g., stormwater runoff) or impacts (e.g., acid rain) of pollution.


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