Cas Holloway is Named Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection

On November 30, Mayor Bloomberg appointed Caswell F. Holloway as Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection. Steve Lawitts has served as Acting Commissioner for the past year.

Since 2006, Mr. Holloway has been Chief of Staff to Deputy Mayor Edward Skyler. Among other major projects in that position, Mr. Holloway's environment-related efforts included the development of the Bloomberg Administration's clean-up program for the Gowanus Canal and the City's new waste management plan.

While the DEP is responsible for the quality of the City's air and water, Commissioner Holloway will undoubtedly focus more of his time on water-related issues. "New York City has the best drinking water in the nation, and the waterways that surround us have always been a key to the City's prosperity," he said at the press conference. "Mayor Bloomberg has led the way in making the investments necessary to prepare our water and sewer infrastructure for the next century."

Waterfront advocates know that Mr. Holloway will face numerous issues as he spearheads improvement of the City's waterways. Larry Levine, staff attorney at Natural Resources Defense Council, commented, "Mr. Holloway is a talented public servant and a quick study who knows his way around City Hall and has the Mayor's ear - all of which are critical attributes. He's taking the reins of an agency that has historically faced more than its fair share of problems and will have a tough job ahead of him. We especially welcome his commitment, at the press conference announcing his appointment, to make reducing sewer overflows through 'green infrastructure' a signature issue for the agency, and also hope that DEP will play a strong role in updating and implementing many other aspects of PlaNYC."

Above is a diagram of the typical process at a NYC water pollution control plant can be found on the NYC DEP web site. Visit http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/harbor_water/index.shtml for an in-depth explanation of the City's wastewater treatment system.