More on the Proposal to Blast at Jerome Park Reservoir

Last week we covered the Croton Facility Monitoring Committee Meeting and reported that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is again proposing the use of blasting at the Jerome Park Reservoir.

We reported that DEP official Angela Licata saying that the DEP did not do a good job of describing hoe-ramming in the original environmental impact statement (EIS).

On her blog, local activist Karen Argenti, who also attended the meeting, pointed out that in the course of answering questions Licata actually admitted that the DEP did not do a good job of explaining the entire construction project at the reservoir. You can check out Argenti's blog and the actual quote here.

This is big news for activists who years ago questioned the construction plans at the reservoir and the accuracy of the information in the original EIS.

As for the allusive "tech memo," which supposedly explains the blasting plan and its effects on the environment, we couldn't find it on the DEP Web site, so we called 311. No luck there, as we got transferred to a DEP staff member who will be on vacation until May 25. Finally, we called the press office and they helped us find the links online. (It's the two "minor modification" links.) However, the links don't work.

If you are interested in reading the tech memo, Argenti has it posted here. The DEP hopes this document will satisfy the public, as they say they are not willing to conduct a supplemental EIS.

Hearing on Filter Blasting Tonight

Community Board 7 and its adjacent boards (8 and 12) will hold a hearing tonight at Lehman College to discuss the Department of Environmental Protection's controversial plan to blast at the Jerome Park Reservoir. The meeting is from 6:30 to 8:30 in the Lehman Faculty Dining Room in the Music Building. For more information, call CB7 at (718) 933-5650.