DEC Water Week 2020

• When the first Earth Day was held in 1970, many factories and cities were routinely discharging untreated waste waters directly to New York’s lakes, rivers and streams. Many waters were unusable, and fish and wildlife were being harmed. Today, visibly cleaner water and revived fish populations draw growing numbers of boaters, swimmers and anglers.
• In 1972, the federal government passed the Clean Water Act, which delegated new responsibilities to DEC, including wastewater discharge permitting. That same year, New York began allocating billions of dollars through DEC’s Construction Grants Program to build an advanced network of sewage treatment facilities to reduce raw sewage flowing into rivers, lakes, and streams.
• New York passed the Tidal Wetlands Act in 1973 and the Freshwater Wetlands Act in 1975 providing important protection for wetlands, which play a vital role in surface and groundwater quality, flood and erosion control, and fish and wildlife habitat.

Learn More

On DEC’s website, you can find information about:

• Water Week, DEC’s annual information campaign to encourage water stewardship
• DEC’s history as DEC celebrates its 50th anniversary
• How to Keep Water Clean