The North River Sewage Treatment Plant and Race Relations in Nc

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, POLITICS, AND POWER

THE STORY OF THE NORTH RIVER SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT

By, Samantha L. Plesser

Spring Term 2014

Final Paper

THESIS

The rapid urbanization and exponential increase in population in New York City (“the city”) from 1900 to 1950 and again from 1950 to the present forced to city to solve basic questions of day-to-day living immediately.^[1]   The most basic of the questions that a city has to face when dealing with rapid urbanization is the problem of waste management.

        North River Sewage Treatment Plant (“the plant”), a sewage treatment plant that sits on the Hudson River that spans from 137th street to 145 street in West Harlem, conceptualized back in 1938 and handling approximately 340 million gallons of sewage a day ^[2], is considered by many to be a symbol of the success of the growing movement of the relatively new environmental justice movement and how grassroots mobilization of a small and relatively powerless community can affect politics and power of a large city.  The placement of the plant, the movement and organization against the building of it, how the West Harlem community was able to first garner media sympathy towards its plight and then general public sympathy, and how the plant operates today after the West Harlem community won a lawsuit against the city are one of the first times that the issues of race, poverty, justice, the law, and politics all intersected in a perfect storm to create, at least on the surface, a win for a relatively powerless community against the city and catapult the environmental justice movement into the federal conscious.  

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE VERSUS ENVIRONMENTALISM

        The environmental justice movement is “the fair treatment of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with regard to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws regulation and policies.”^[3] It is a simple fact that environmental justice was not a consideration when developing property until very recently because the environmental justice movement did not exist.  Robert Muller, the legislative head of the Department of Parks in the city (“DEP”) stated that today the city “considers environmental justice as much as possible within the budget allocated to the city when developing new projects and allocating funds, however it is difficult as funds are obviously limited.” ^[4] He also points out that there is a difference between environmentalists, who are interested solely in cleaning up the environment that may or may not have a direct impact and immediate impact on any people and the environmental justice movement.^[5]  For example, he points to the National Resource Defense Council (“NRDC”) who wants the nitrates in Jamaica Bay cleaned up immediately.  Although he says that this is an important and worthy goal, it will cost the city billions of dollars and he states that the city is unsure if it will have any immediate impact on people.^[6]  However, using those same funds, the city could make sure that air quality in poorer communities could be improved.  Mr. Muller stated:  “unfortunately, without unlimited funds, the environment is a give and take just like everything else.”^[7]

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE

NORTH RIVER SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT

        In the 1800s, unfiltered waste called sludge simply ran through the poorest (and lowest geographical points of the city) called the Five Points and now known as Tribeca.^[8]   Sewage systems did not exist.  In 1914, the city realized the need for a sewage system when immigrant communities exploded and the population was simply too large to accommodate the lack of one.^[9]  The original idea was to build seven sewage plants, however that idea proved too costly.^[10]  In 1938, the city’s Department of Public Works (“DPW”) determined they were going to build one massive plant between West 70th and West 72nd on derelict land along the Hudson River and began working on presentations to show then parks commissioner Robert Moses.^[11] DPW soon realized that the budget they requested was simply too low for a primary sewage plant because the plant needed to be double decked.^[12] 

        DPW went to Moses and tried to renegotiate for more money but Moses denied their request, citing budgetary concerns.^[13][14]  Moses suggested transporting the plant to West Harlem.^[15]

        In a series of meetings closed to the public that went on from 1955 to 1964, it was decided that the plant be moved from the West 70s to West Harlem.^[16]  At the same time, it was decided that construction get started on development in the West 70s for projects to develop the area that is now developed as the Lincoln center area.^[17]  The mayor of the city at the time, John Lindsay, only disclosed the building of the plant to the West Harlem community after the passage of the Sunshine Laws by the federal government, a law that required all state and municipal agencies to open all meetings to the public.^[18]  At that point planning for the plant had been going on for over thirteen years.^[19] 

        In a series of three community meetings with the citizens of West Harlem, Mayor Lindsay assured the citizens that the plant would cause absolutely no interruption in their day –to-day living in any way.^[20]

        There were issues with the plant from the beginning.  The building of the plant (which dragged on from 1955-1988) cost the city $1.1 billion dollars, making it the most expensive, non-military public works to date.^[21]

        Immediately after the plant opened, the citizens of West Harlem began complaining of a rotten egg smell permeating through the neighborhood, a telltale indicator of hydrogen sulfide gas that simply could not come from anywhere other than a sewage treatment plant.^[22]  Despite the horrible (and obvious) stench, then Mayor Ed Koch and the Department of Environmental Protection (“DEP”) at that point simply denied that any odors existed, calling the citizens of West Harlem “a bunch of screaming Mimis”.^[23]  During the heat, the odors were so prolific that many citizens from 137th street to 142nd street simply could not leave their residences because of the stench.^[24]