BILL NUMBER: S7970
SPONSOR: FAHY
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to
enacting the "Mohawk River Basin management act"
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To establish the Mohawk River Basin district and direct its management
for the district and management of invasive species within the district.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS: Section 1:
a) Amends the environmental conservation law by adding a new section,
11-306B, entitled "The Mohawk River Basin Management Program." The
Mohawk River Basin Management Program establishes the Mohawk River Basin
District, which shall include the Mohawk River from its headwaters in
Lewis County to its mouth at the Hudson River at Cohoes. The district
shall include the Mohawk River's watershed, including all tributaries
and lands that drain to the Mohawk River, as well as any adjacent areas
on which the integrity of the basin depends, such as the portion of the
New York State Barge Canal that is in or connected to the Mohawk River.
b) Directs the Department of Environmental Conservation to maintain the
Mohawk River Basin Management Program and promote and protect the envi-
ronmental quality of the Mohawk River, taking into consideration its
connection to the Hudson River and the New York State Barge Canal.
c)Establishes a "Committee", known as the Mohawk River Basin Management
Advisory Committee, to advise on management for the Mohawk River Basin
District. The Commissioner, or the "Commissioner" of the Department of
Environmental Conservation, will appoint the committee. It shall have
relevant experience required, including, but not limited to: knowledge
of best practices for drinking water supply, recreational activities,
natural resources management, agriculture, as well as experience in
state agencies.
d) Establishes a new position of the Mohawk Watershed Coordinator, the
"Coordinator", to assist the committee and the Commissioner.
e) Outlines the management strategy and action agenda that the Committee
shall utilitze to implement ecosystem-based management goals. The agenda
shall be updated by 2027 and regularly, at intervals not greater than 10
years.
f) Requires the development of a plan to prevent the proliferation of
all aquatic invasive species in and through the Mohawk River Basin
District. The plan shall be developed within one year of the passage of
this act and shall be submitted to the Commissioner and the chairpersons
of the Assembly and Senate committees of environmental conservation.
g) Requires annual reporting from the Coordinator, as well as reporting
to the chairpersons of the Assembly and Senate committees of environ-
mental conservation.
h) The Committee shall report to the Commissioner regularly, and at
least annually on or before December first of each year.
i) The Coordinator shall consult with the Committee regularly in prepar-
ing and implementing the management strategy and action agenda of the
Mohawk River Watershed, as well as relevant regulatory or policy changes
affecting the Mohawk River Watershed.
Section 2: This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day
after it shall have become a law.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
The Mohawk River, its estuaries, and its river basin spans a region of
nearly 3,500 square miles with 14 counties, 172 municipalities, and over
600,000 constituents who depend on the region's economic contributions
from agriculture, manufacture, storage, and shipping. Beyond the impacts
to residents, the Mohawk River Basin has a significantly sized ecosystem
including 6,600 total miles of rivers, canals, and streams, and 135
lakes, reservoirs, and ponds. The Mohawk River Basin is responsible for
roughly 25 percent of the entire Hudson River drainage area. The Mohawk
River Basin has numerous native aquatic species that need protection
from invasive aquatic species such as the Round Goby due to recent
capture of invasive species samples in the Mohawk River as well as in
the connected Hudson River. The Mohawk River Basin experiences pollution
from numerous sources, including sediment, nutrients, and bacteria from
agriculture, construction, and eroding banks. According to a 2024
report, gaps in environmental regulations enabled 89 million gallons of
landfill leachate, chemically laced water runoff, to be dumped into the
Mohawk and Hudson Rivers annually from 2019 to 2023.
This bill would allow for the continued addressing of these concerns and
long-term planning and preservation of the Mohawk River Basin District.
The established management program, combined with the efforts of the
appointed committee and coordinator will be best-equipped to guide
ecosystem-based watershed management, updated at least every 10 years.
This oversight will provide for a new focus on identifying flood-vulner-
able communities and implementing strategies for resilience, as well as
the monitoring of pollutants and the suggestion of new policies to
address new conservation issues. Finally, an invasive species management
plan that addresses aquatic invasive threats will better address inva-
sive species and native species' interactions with the Canal and histor-
ic watershed divides.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
None.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
TBD
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it
shall have become a law.