 |
  |
 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
 | ||||||||
|  EODENotice of Lead Agency Determination for the
| |||||||
| Neal L. Cohen, M.D. | 4/10/2000 | |
| Neal L. Cohen, M.D. Commissioner New York City Department of Health | Date |
Negative Declaration for the New York City Department of Health
Proposed Routine Comprehensive Arthropod-borne Disease Surveillance
And Control Program
In compliance with the requirements if the City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR) process, which is established and governed through the CEQR Rules adopted in June 1991 and Mayoral Executive Order 91 and its amendments and those 6 NYCRR Part 617, establishing State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR), the New York City Department of Health (NYCDOH), acting as the lead agency, is hereby issuing a Negative Declaration for the Routine Comprehensive Anthropod-borne Disease Surveillance And Control Program ("the Routine Control Program") and related actions inclusive of permits anticipated to be issued by the Hew York Sate Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) for the application of larvicide under 6 N.Y.C.R.R., Part 329. The NYCDOH, as lead agency, has consulted numerous federal, state and local agencies, including the United States Department of Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP), the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation (NYCDPR) and the New York City Department of Sanitation (NYCDOS) in developing the program and has determined that the proposed action described below will not have a significant adverse effect on the environment.
In response to concerns regarding mosquito borne diseases, the NYCDOH proposes a Routine Comprehensive Anthropod-borne Disease Surveillance Control Program.
The purpose of this Environmental Assessment is to review the proposal NYCDOH "Routine Control Program", with respect to potential impacts the proposed actions may have on the environment. The Routine Control Program incorporates various citywide components including larvicide application. The Program has been designed to focus resource efforts up front to monitor and reduce the potential for disease outbreak. The reduction of standing water and targeting of larviciding efforts (i.e. where they are needed and most effective) will reduce the type and extent of pesticides needed in the event of an outbreak. The NYCDOH primary efforts include an aggressive public health campaign to make residents and businesses aware of on-going City efforts and how they can help in reducing potential breeding areas, as well as taking actions to reduce breeding grounds, and conducting larval control activities. Larvacides will not be applied to waters that are consumed (human drinking water). For example, larvacides will not be applied to the Jerome Park Reservoir in the Bronx. The use of larvacides should result in a decrease in disease causing adult mosquitoes, therefore decreasing the potential need for adultcides.
The products being considered for larviciding include methoprene, Bacillus thuringiensis var israelenis, and Bacillus sphaericus; all of which are currently registered for mosquito control use by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). These larvicides have been selected for this program, because of their relative effectiveness and focused targeting of mosquito larvae, and their relative minimal adverse impacts on the environment. As discussed in the supportive documentation to this negative declaration, there are no significant adverse impacts expected on the environment from the planned application of these larvicides. However, in order to be conservative in these applications, at locations which can potentially affect freshwater and tidal water bodies and sensitive aquatic natural resource habitats, NYCDOH will choose to initially apply biopesticides, with the active agents Bacillus thurgiensis var israelensis, and Bacillus sphaericus. This Environmental Assessment, which includes a supportive Environmental Assessment Statement (EAS) and attachment, encompasses the anticipated range of anthropod controls that will be included under the proposed Routine Control Program. In the future, should additional approaches to larvae control be identified, NYCDOH, in consultation with the NYSDOH, DEC and other interested City agencies, would determine their potential for significant adverse environmental impacts at that time. In addition, as discussed below, components of the Routine Control Program would require permits from the NYSDEC, which the NYCDOH is in the process of obtaining. The assessment conducted and addresses actions that would be taken by the NYSDEC with respect to application of this program.
The use of pesticides targeting adult anthropod populations will not be conducted as part of this Routine Control Program and will be applied only when actions are deemed immediately necessary for the protection of life or health. The NYCDOH is in the process of conducting a full and comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the potential environmental effects of control methods targeting adult anthropod populations.
The Proposed Action involves the application of larvicides to freshwater and tidal wetland and to standing water for the control of mosquito larvae. Application of these larvicides comes within the scope of Article 15 of the Environmental Conservation Law and requires a permit under 6 NYCRR Part 329. Other permits may be required, such as the Freshwater Wetlands Permit-ECL Article 24 and Tidal Wetlands Permit-ECL Article 25. For areas that require wetland permits, no extended release larvicide applications will be applied. Instead, larvicides with active agents based on Bacillus thuringiensis var israelensis, and Bacillus sphaericus are anticipated for application in such areas. If any applications of liquid methoprene are proposed for these areas, as part of the NYSDEC permit applications process, additional information will be provided on a site by site basis, to ensure that such applications will not adversely affect fish populations in these respective habitats. In addition, the NYCDOH may need to coordinate with the Army Corp. of Engineers if there is a need to apply larvicides in Federal tidal or fresh water wetlands. Likewise, if there is a need to place larvivorous fish to contained waters, a fish stocking permit ma be required from NYSDEC.
The Proposed Action, as described above, is not anticipated to have any significant adverse effects on the surrounding community. The proposal for larviciding would have a positive effect, by minimizing the breeding and adult formulation of disease carrying mosquitoes, thereby reducing the potential future need for adulticides. The NYCDOH, as SEQR/CEQR Lead Agency, has determined that the proposed action will have no significant adverse effects on the quality of the environment.
The above determination is based on an environmental assessment which finds that no significant adverse effects on the environment which would require the preparation of an EIS for the Routine Comprehensive Anthropod-borne Disease Surveillance And Control Program are foreseeable.
Date Issued: 4-12-00
Lead Agency: New York City Department of Health
Contact: Neal L. Cohen, MD (Neal L. Cohen, MD)
May 2000
 |
|
|
 |
|
|