The door leading to Hilary Meltzer’s department.
On Thursday, December 11th, the “No Water, No Life” group met with lawyer and water pollution expert Hilary Meltzer at her office on Church Street. We walked from our school, LREI, to the West 4th Street subway station, and took the train downtown. As we emerged from the World Trade Center station, we were greeted by sidewalks bursting with people, and streets packed with impatient cars. Kiyomi, a member of our group, asked a kind crossing guard for directions, and we arrived at a large, light gray stone building shortly afterwards. We took an elevator to the floor where Hilary Meltzer’s office was located. We only had to take a few steps from where the elevator dropped us to find Ms. Meltzer kindly waiting. She greeted us with a big smile and bright eyes, and led us through a dark door on which was written, “New York City Law Department, Office of the Corporation Counsel.” She guided us down a series of long hallways to her office. She was welcoming and friendly, and generously offered us her expertise on water pollution and its effects.
I learned many important and intriguing things about water pollution from Ms. Meltzer during this interview. She spoke especially about water issues in New York. I learned that in the 1800’s there was very little clean water in New York. In the 1830’s, people created places upstate that could supply water, because the water in and around New York was so polluted. People brought the water from Westchester to New York. However, now Westchester is more built up than it was then, causing its water to be less clean, so we are building bigger, further away water supplies. These are mainly on the west side of the Hudson River, in the Catskills. The system of water flowing from dams in the Catskills to New York is mainly run by gravity. I also learned about the federal clean water act, which was an act passed in 1972 when people really realized that they were actually polluting their own water by dumping their waste into it. This act stated that one cannot dump waste into water without a permit.
I have discovered that litter has a great deal to do with water quality, not only because it could somehow literally find its way into bodies of water with the help of wind or human carelessness, but also because of the effects it has on rainwater. It really struck me that stormwater carries whatever it touches into receiving water bodies. New York City, especially, has many surfaces that let water run across it without absorbing it. This lets the stormwater become polluted, and it runs right into sewers and other receiving waters, rather than being absorbed by other materials. Dirty, littered sidewalks, and improperly constructed garbage cans can lead to stormwater pollution.
This new knowledge has caused me to consider what I can do about this issue of littering and stormwater pollution. I think that my group should focus on this element as our next step towards a change in the world. We should advocate against litter, for garbage cans with more effective designs, and most importantly, towards public education and awareness of these important and prevalent issues that are currently affecting our lives.
Thank you, Hilary Meltzer, for your generosity with time and energy, your kindness, and especially for the knowledge and insights you have given us. You have helped us immensely in our mission to save our world from water-related issues.
Daniela Pierro
