Water Quality Coordinating Committee

Agendas & Minutes

About the Rockland County Water Quality Coordinating Committee

The Mission of the Rockland County Water Quality Coordinating Committee (WQCC) is to protect, conserve and restore Rockland County's water resources. Established in 1992, membership in the RCWQC is open to any organization, municipality, government agency, or individual interested in the mission and goals of the committee. The WQCC hosts quarterly events, open to the public where guest speakers present on topics around water resources issues. The committee also tries to host an annual waterway cleanup in partnership with Keep Rockland Beautiful.

Meetings and Membership

We meet periodically (about 4 times a year), usually on the second Tuesday of that month. All meetings are open to the public.

• 2023 WQC Meeting Dates

Board

• Chair (Rockland Country Club), Matt Ceplo
• Vice Chair, Vacant
• Second Vice Chair, (SCWA) Jim Elling
• Secretary (Public), Tolly Beck
• Treasurer, Vacant
• Executive Director (Rockland County SWCD and DER), Brianna Rosamilia

Educational Presentations

The main mission of the RC WQCC is to educate the public on water resources management issues that may impact Rockland's resources. The Board hosts guest speakers on diverse topics. Below please find previous presentations by guest speakers.

Wild Oyster Populations in the Hudson River Estuary by Katie Mosher-Smith, NY Harbor Foundation. Katie Mosher-Smith, Restoration Program Manager for the Billion Oyster Project, an initiative of the New York Harbor Foundation and Harbor School. Katie will present an overview of the project, its impact so far, effects of the old and new Tappan Zee Bridge, and ways locals can help with this effort. [Presented November 21, 2017]

Best Management Practices (BMP's) for Golf Courses by Ken Benoit, Jr., CGCS, President of New York Golf Foundation/ Vice President of the Metropolitan Golf Course Superintendents Association. Ken will be speaking about the New York State Best Management Practices initiative (curated by the New York Golf Foundation). His presentation will focus on BMP's related to water conservation and water quality protection. These BMP'S can be very helpful as a guide for the home owners, landscapers, park and sports field managers as well as golf courses. [Presented January 30, 2018]

Rockland County Specific Water Quality Resource Mapper by Jennifer Zunino-Smith, Rockland County Cornell Cooperative Extension. Jennifer will present the newly created CCE Water Quality website and mapper that is now live for the public to view. She will also provide updates on water resources and stormwater management issues the public and municipalities may face in the Spring and Summer months. [Presented March 27, 2018]

Irrigation Technologies by Brian E. Vinchesi (LEED AP, EIT, FASIC, CID, CIC, CLIA, CGI, CLIM), Irrigation Consulting, Inc. Brian discussed the role of irrigation in large scale and small scale projects,irrigation standards, and maintenance of technologies installed. *Recording available upon request. [Presented September 11, 2018]

Homes for Heroes Site Design by Ken DeGennaro, PE and Certified Floodplain Manager, Brooker Engineering. Ken discussed the concept and construction designs for the green infrastructure installations throughout the old Camp Shanks property. [Presented March 12,2019]

Water Conservation Rebates by Chelsea Wulff, Senior Conservation Program Specialist with Suez NY. Chelsea presented an overview of SUEZ Conserve, the Suez Conservation program implemented in 2017 to encourage customers to adapt more water efficiency through rebates on water saving fixtures, smart water use workshops, and community outreach. [Presented September 10, 2019]