NY-NJ Harbor Estuary Program's Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP)

Actions set forth in the plan address toxic pollutants, management of dredged material, pathogens and floatable debris, excessive loadings of nutrients, and rainfall-induced discharges. Because the Harbor Estuary Program (HEP) determined that continuing discharges of several chemicals, notably metals and organic chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's), are contributing to water quality violations, fish tissue contamination, contaminated sediments, and other ecological effects, it identified actions to reduce the input of these chemicals to the harbor/bight. Such actions address the discharge of metals (e.g., copper and mercury); discharges of organic chemicals; feasibility studies by sewerage authorities; complete clean-up actions at known sites of highly contaminated sediments; the development of a comprehensive dredged material management plan; and the implementation of discharge controls for combined sewer overflows (CSO), storm water, and non-point source pollution. The HEP's main focus is the development of a coordinated regional research, monitoring and modeling program.

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