NY S08547

Department of Environmental Conservation must conduct a beneficial use study to determine ecological restoration needs in Jamaica Bay, including bathymetry, borrow pit maps, and fin fish population analysis across multiple seasons and depths.

Study must assess geotechnical conditions of pit bottoms, the role of borrow pits in absorbing summer heat to reduce ulva sulfide conditions in adjacent shallow areas, and provide policy recommendations for ecological restoration.

Department must submit findings report to the governor, temporary president of the senate, and speaker of the assembly no later than March 30, 2029, and publish the report on its website.

Five-year moratorium on placement of any type of sediment or fill into Jamaica Bay borrow pits begins on the act's effective date or continues until the study is completed and published, whichever is later.