County Times: Rockland County Executive Ed Day: Rockland is blessed to be surrounded by the majestic beauty of the Hudson River.

The Hudson has always played a central role in the life of people in Rockland and my administration has worked has to attract tourism and create recreational activities based on our proximity to this national gem.
Now all of that hard work could be in danger.

The Coast Guard is considering a request to create new “anchorage grounds” – big parking lots for barges from Yonkers to Kingston.

Under the proposal there would be 10 in all, including one in Tomkins Cove. According to the Coast Guard, the Tomkins Cove Anchorage Ground would cover approximately 98 acres and could accommodate up to three vessels.

The Coast Guard points out that there are no anchorage grounds in our area of the Hudson River and the development of such big parking lots for large barges would make river navigation safer and more efficient.

As stewards of the great Hudson River, we are very concerned about this plan and what it means for the future of Rockland.

In the not-too-distant past, the Hudson River was a dumping ground. The river was so polluted that no one could enjoy it. Boating, fishing, swimming or even spending a day at its banks was a laughable thought.

A coalition of government agencies and not-for-profit groups worked hard for years to clean it up. Now we are reaping the rewards of all that work, cleaner water and all the recreational opportunities that goes with it.

Many of the barges that would transform our stretch of the river into a big parking lot would carry crude oil. Image what a leak would do to the fragile Hudson River ecology. There are still traces in Alaska of the oil that was spilled by a tanker more than 25 years ago.  Read more.