New York City Department of Environmental Protection
ORG
Department of Environmental Protection New York City Department of Environmental Protection
New York City's Department of Environmental Protection admitted yesterday that its failure to maintain and repair backup generators at several sewage treatment plants violated environmental laws and caused the illegal discharge of 30 million gallons of untreated human waste into the East River during the 2003 blackout. The Department  is entrusted with performing critical functions for all the citizens, including the provision of drinking water and the prevention of water pollution as Mr. Garcia said in a statement. The department was put on probation and forced to submit to a court-mandated monitor in 2001 after a federal investigation found a renegade attitude among some workers in the upstate watershed who violated the  laws or treated them as mere nuisances.