Updated Feb.10, 4:57 p.m
Astoria residents were surprised last week to learn that sewage from Astoria Park bathrooms was being dumped into the East River for decades, and one politician wants to make sure this problem is not a regular occurrence.
State Senator Michael Gianaris is calling on the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to conduct a citywide review of sewage systems near waterways. This request comes after the Parks Department announced that the bathrooms in Astoria Park’s Charybdis Playground would be closed until 2019 for plumbing repairs.
Parents who frequent the park with their children started a petition earlier last month to demand the bathrooms reopen. Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski announced at an Astoria Park Alliance meeting that the pipes from the playground and pool concession had not been connected to city pipes, causing the sewage to flow to the East River.
Bathrooms near the pool were quickly repaired but the Parks Department will bring in portable toilets to the playground until new pipes are installed.
“Over the last several years, New York City has made tremendous progress opening our treasured waterways for public use in environmentally friendly ways and become more environmentally responsible overall,” Gianaris said in the letter. “The Charybdis Playground fiasco should be the last time the lack of environmental sensibility from our past haunts the greener city we must achieve in the future.”
Gianaris has a history of advocating for environmental protections. He authored the Clean Energy Law, which requires power-plants to replace outdated parts with cleaner technology and also led an effort to ensure that Con Edison paid restitution after blackouts plagued western Queens in 2006.
In the letter, he calls on the DEP to immediately take measures if any problems are discovered. A spokesperson for the DEP said the city agency frequently reviews the harbor for problems.
“DEP staff monitor the harbor regularly looking for illicit discharges,” the spokesperson said. “If/when one is found, the property owner is directed to correct it.”
According to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the new sewage system is in the design phase. Amy Spitalnick, spokesperson for OMB, said the New York City harbor is “cleaner now than it’s been in over a century” due to routine water sample collection administered by the DEP to check for pollution.
“Upon discovering infrastructural issues at Astoria Pool and Charybdis Playground, Parks took immediate action to correct the issue at Astoria Pool and close the Charybdis Playground comfort stations,” Spitalnick said. “Parks is designing a permanent new sewer line for Charybdis Playground.”
