What are Floatables? Where do they come from?

• Floatables are defined as water-borne litter and debris.
  
  
• The main source of Floatables is street litter which ends up in the City's storm drains (catch basins) and sewers.
  
  
• Floatables can be discharged into the surrounding waters during certain rain events when water flow into treatment plants exceeds treatment capacity.

Catch Basin Program

Each of the City's 130,000 catch basins will be inspected and electronically mapped by 2001.

Hoods are being installed at all catch basins to capture floatables.

DEP and its contractors clean debris from catch basins.

Booming and Skimming Operations

DEP has installed booms or floating barriers at 23 locations to capture floatables discharged from combined sewers, which handle sanitary and storm water.

DEP skimmer vessels are used to remove floatables from boomed sites.

Floating debris in the open waters is removed by the Skimmer Vessel Cormorant, DEP's largest vessel in the floatables fleet.

We are pleased to announce the DEP Outfall Sign Installation Program:

• Signs will be installed at many of the City's combined sewer outfalls (more than 494 Citywide). Outfalls are outlet structures which connect the City's sewers with the surrounding waters.
• The signs will identify all New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) permitted wet weather discharge points throughout the City.
• Each sign will include an assigned Outfall Identification Number and also the phone number of DEP's 24-Hour Help Center for reporting problems.

How You can help!

• Don't throw litter onto streets or into catch basins.
• Call 311 to report problems at catch basins or outfalls.
  
  

For More Information

If you have questions or would like more information about DEP's floatables program or other pollution prevention efforts, please contact:

NYC DEP
59-17 Junction Boulevard
Corona, NY 11368