The shoreline at MacNeil Park. Courtesy of Coastal Preservation Network
DEP to extend stormwater outfall pipe to
protect thriving oyster reef at MacNeil Park
BY JENNA BAGCAL
At the beginning of November,
the Department of Environmental
Protection revealed
that it would soon extend a
stormwater outfall pipe which
faces the East River in College
Point‘s MacNeil Park.
According to Councilman
Paul Vallone, who had gotten
word from DEP, the agency
would extend the pipe 200 feet
beyond the shoreline in order
to protect a restored oyster
reef at the formerly polluted
cove.
DEP put the Department
of Design and Construction
(DDC) in charge of the project,
which is currently in its design
phase.
In the early 2000s, the state
Department of Environmental
Conservation granted a permit
to College Point resident
Dr. James Cervino and fellow
marine biologists to establish
and restore the oyster reef, sea
grass and other marine life at
the MacNeil Park waterfront.
DEP’s proposal to install
the outfall pipe at the MacNeil
Park cove in 2016 sparked outrage
and concern within the
community. Dr. Cervino and
his wife Kat Cervino, president
of the Coastal Preservation
Network (CPN) and a vice
president of the College Point
Civic Association, brought
their concerns to Vallone. The
pair highlighted the planned
pipe’s proximity to the salt
marsh oyster reef and potential
reversal of over a decade
of hard work.
The pipe’s purpose is to
improve water quality and local
stormwater drainage but
critics said that it functioned
at the risk of affecting the marine
life’s long term health and
caused erosion on the beach.
“Three years ago, when we
first learned that the replacement
outfall pipe would dump
polluted street water right out
onto our beach, we were horrified,”
said Kathryn Cervino.
“This is the beach where we’d
been planting seagrasses with
volunteers and doing trash
cleanups since 2002, where
our oyster growth project was
thriving and where we host
annual free kayaking days.
We were determined not to let
catastrophe happen, and immediately
organized a Day of
Outrage rally with hundreds
of local residents and elected
officials, and circulated a petition
online and on paper.”
For the past two years,
Vallone and CPN have joined
together to advocate for an alternative
solution. The councilman
has co-hosted several
conferences between DEP
leadership and local stakeholders
in order to find a “sensible
outcome.”
According to DEP Commissioner
Vincent Sapienza,
the stormwater outfall pipe installation
in 2017 was part of a
larger $132 million infrastructure
upgrade meant to prevent
flooding in College Point and
reduce the amount of pollution
into Flushing Bay and the upper
East River.
DEP added that completion
of the larger project will allow
for the closure of three existing
combined sewer outfalls
and prevent the annual release
of nearly 50 million gallons of
combined sewer outflow made
of untreated sanitary sewage
and stormwater.
“Our wetlands are a critical
part of our natural ecosystem
and play a key role in fostering
a healthy marine environment
for future generations,”
said Vallone. “I am relieved to
learn that the outfall pipe at
MacNeil Park will be extended
and relocated away from this
thriving ecosystem, which activists
like the Cervinos have
worked so hard to protect. I
thank the Cervinos for their
continued advocacy and the
DEP for listening to the community’s
concerns and revisiting
this project.”
In 1930, the city acquired
the land where MacNeil Park
stands and then-Parks Commissioner
Robert Moses spearheaded
the project. In 1966, the
park was renamed for American
sculptor Hermon Atkins
MacNeil on the 100th anniversary
of his birth. MacNeil’s
former home and studio were
adjacent to the park at the site
of the Silverpoint and Riverview
residences.
“As a marine and earth
scientist, we are elated to see
that the erosional damages
will now be reversed and commend
Mr. Walsh of the DEP for
his scientific support and efforts
to assist in remediating
the stressful impacts associated
with the massive influx
of water and waste flowing out
of the outflow pipe,” said Dr.
James Cervino. “The nesting
horseshoe crabs, oysters, and
other marine invertebrates
also want to personally thank
the DEP for making this happen!”
TIMESLEDGER,QNS.COM NOV. 29-DEC. 5, 2019 3
/TIMESLEDGER,QNS.COM
