Water Bodies
Environmental Protection Agency
Water resources are central to the region’s aesthetics, economics and health. There are some 60,000
miles of
rivers and streams in Region 2, including waterways of major importance such as the Hudson
and Passaic Rivers, the ports of San Juan and the New York/New Jersey Harbor, Lake Ontario, Niagara
Falls and the St. Lawrence Seaway. New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have
a combined 685 miles of
ocean coastline, as well. Clean and safe water is essential to the health and
livelihood of the region’s 31 million residents.
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