Rockland County, together with the Towns of Clarkstown, Haverstraw, Orangetown, Ramapo, and Stony Point, is calling on New York State to strengthen enforcement of the NYS Nutrient Runoff Law. The municipalities partnered with the Stormwater Consortium of Rockland County (https://rocklandcce.org/stormwater-consortium-of-rockland-county) to urge Governor Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) to take stronger action as several of Rockland’s major waterways continue to face phosphorus contamination.
In 2010, New York State amended its Nutrient Runoff Law (https://dec.ny.gov/environmental-protection/water/water-quality/lawn-fertilizer), overriding Rockland County’s 2009 fertilizer regulations and preventing local governments from setting their own phosphate rules. According to the Final 2020/2022 NYS Section 303(d) List (https://extapps.dec.ny.gov/fs/projects/cleanwateract/nys_section303(d)_list.xlsx), multiple Rockland waterbodies—including Rockland Lake, Lake DeForest, Lake Lucille, Congers Lake, and Swartout Lake—are designated as “impaired for total phosphorous.” Lake DeForest, which supplies roughly 25% of Rockland’s drinking water, is among the water sources of greatest concern.
To better protect these waterways, the County, Towns, and Stormwater Consortium recommended several actions to the state. These include increasing educational outreach to retailers and residents, creating a statewide database of fertilizer suppliers, issuing annual notifications to retailers outlining NYS requirements and penalties, conducting routine enforcement sweeps by NYS DEC Environmental Conservation Officers, and annually tracking phosphorus levels in impaired waterbodies.
Excess phosphorus, which is commonly found in lawn fertilizers, can significantly degrade lakes and ponds by fueling aquatic weed overgrowth and harmful algal blooms. This poses a serious threat to drinking water sources such as Lake DeForest. These concerns were outlined in a joint letter sent to the Governor, Attorney General, and NYS DEC, calling for more consistent and robust statewide enforcement.
Officials are also urging the public to take simple steps to protect Rockland’s shared water resources. When fertilizer is needed, residents should choose phosphorus-free products (identified by the “0” in the middle number) to help prevent nutrient pollution. Residents are encouraged to learn how to identify Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs), check the NYHABS mapper for current conditions (https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/e5dec19912454731a308bbb7af605fb3/), avoid contact with affected water, and report blooms using the NYS DEC Algal Bloom Report Form (https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/66337b887ccd465ab7645c0a9c1bc5c0). Anyone exposed to a HAB should rinse with clean water and seek medical attention if symptoms appear.
Residents can also help by establishing vegetative or riparian buffers along waterways to reduce pollution, participating in the NYS DEC Trees for Tribs program (https://dec.ny.gov/nature/waterbodies/oceans-estuaries/hudson-river-estuary-program/hudson-estuary-trees-for-tribs) to strengthen streamside habitats, avoiding driveway car washing that can send phosphorus-containing soaps into storm drains, refraining from dumping leaves or grass clippings into storm drains, and applying sustainable landscaping techniques such as rain gardens, bioswales, permeable pavement, and rainwater harvesting.
To learn more about improving water quality in Rockland County, residents can visit Cornell Cooperative Extension’s educational page (https://rocklandcce.org/stormwater-consortium-water-quality-education/nutrient-pollution-and-algae-blooms) and the Rockland County Task Force on Water Resources Management social media pages (https://www.linkedin.com/company/rockland-county-task-force-on-water-resources-management).
The Rockland County Legislature, the County Executive’s Office, and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rockland County recently convened a multidisciplinary group of experts in water quality, public health, enforcement, and environmental education. The group reviewed data, aligned priorities, and strengthened partnerships to advance initiatives aimed at improving water quality and protecting Rockland’s natural resources.