Wetlands Remapping
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) proposed amendments to the State’s Freshwater Wetland Maps for land located mainly within northern Westchester County.
The Freshwater Wetlands Act (FWA), Article 24 of the New York State Environmental Conservation Law, provides DEC with the authority to regulate certain freshwater wetlands. The FWA protects wetlands 12.4 acres (5 hectares) or greater in size, certain smaller wetlands of unusual local importance (ULI), and includes a 100-foot regulated buffer area around mapped wetlands. Wetlands and other waters of the United States are also protected by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.
The draft Freshwater Wetland Maps amend areas of northern Westchester County and Southern Putnam County that fall within, or are immediately adjacent to the New York City Watershed. Municipalities included in the remapping effort include: Bedford; Briarcliff Manor; Cortlandt; Harrison; Lewisboro; Mount Kisco; Mount Pleasant; New Castle; North Castle; North Salem; Ossining; Peekskill; Pleasantville; Pound Ridge; Putnam Valley (Putnam County); Rye Brook; Somers; and Yorktown.
The amendment includes additions of wetlands 12.4 acres and greater, additions of smaller wetlands identified as ULIs, and changes the boundaries of wetlands currently mapped. Under the existing maps within Westchester County, there are 5,220 acres of wetlands mapped inside the New York City watershed and 3,290 acres mapped outside the New York City watershed. The draft Freshwater Wetland Maps will add approximately 3,280 acres inside the New York City watershed and approximately 2,380 acres outside of the New York City watershed.
Copies of the maps depicting the proposed changes may be viewed at local government clerks’ offices, at local town libraries, at the DEC Region 3 Office at 21 South Putt Corners Road, New Paltz, at http://www.bagdon.net/regmaps/ or by calling (518) 439-8588.
Members of the public can provide comments in writing until February 15, 2004. All comments received before the close of the comment period will be considered. Comments postmarked by February 15, 2004, can be mailed to New York State Freshwater Wetland Amendments, c/o Bagdon Environmental, Attention: Norbert Quenzer, 3 Normanskill Boulevard, Delmar, New York 12054, by fax at (518) 439-8592, or by email to info@bagdonenvironmental.com.
NYPIRG Home Page • NYPIRG Environment Page • Watershed Page
