Results tagged “environmentalconcern”

Yesterday Mayor Bloomberg made a curious move by presenting an environmental award to the man behind the Waterfalls project, Olafur Eliasson, and the Public Art Fund, the organization that commissioned the four waterfalls that have run throughout the summer along the city's East River waterfronts. The Doris C. Freedman Award has been given annually for over 25 years to people and groups who enrich the city's environment. However, just last month, the city decided to cut down the amount of hours the falls run in half due to concerns that the spray coming from them was causing damage to nearby plant life. Bloomberg's praise of the waterfalls did not seem to relate heavily to any environmental good they have done the city, instead focusing on the economic boost they have provided as a tourist attraction and adding, "This project proclaims that New York City is home to bold visions and visionaries."

As predicted on Gothamist last week, concerns about the waterfalls damaging nearby trees have caused the city to decrease their operating time from 101 to 49.5 hours per week starting next Monday. The Public Art Fund says that an environmental assessment was done beforehand and that "an anemometer (wind meter) has been installed at each site, which shuts each waterfall off in the case of sustained winds that may blow saltwater onto the surrounding areas." However, the reduction in the running time of the falls is being taken as an extra precaution after leaves on trees surrounding the Brooklyn Bridge and Governors Island waterfalls were turning prematurely brown.