The waters that surround New York City are cleaner than they have been in a century. New Yorkers are at the water every hour of the day—fishing off piers, working on docks and barges, swimming in beaches, boating through wetlands and learning in outdoor classrooms. Some call our waterways the 6th borough, a place for recreation, education and economic development.

Despite these assets, our waterways suffer from a massive source of pollution: our infrastructure. Every time it rains, runoff from streets and buildings overwhelms our waste water treatment system and a mixture of raw sewage and contaminated runoff is discharged into our waterways. These events, called Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs), make our waterways unfit for human contact for days after rain events. 

Fortunately, NYC has a robust network of citywide water advocates, grassroots water stewards and stormwater specialists collaborating to advance equitable stormwater management solutions. Since 2007, the Storm Water Infrastructure Matters (SWIM) Coalition has united this network around a shared vision of NYC waterways that live up to the mandate of the Clean Water Act—water that is clean enough to be ‘swimmable and fishable’.

We want every New Yorker to know how important our waterways are, what threatens their health and what they can do to protect them. Through education, outreach and grassroots advocacy, SWIM collaborates with our 70+ members to advocate for improved City and State water quality initiatives that advance ways to increase green infrastructure, which absorbs rain water, cleans and cools the air, and beautifies neighborhoods.  

SWIM has a generous offer from a foundation for a $5K grant if we can match it with donations .  Their donation and ensuing fundraiser is in honor of the work of Julie Welch, SWIM's Program Manager, who has taken our work to the next level.  Julie is moving on and we want all waterway enthusiasts to honor her by making a donation! 

Do you play, work, learn or thrive in NYC waterways? Consider making a donation TODAY to support SWIM's efforts!