Enacts the "New York open water data act"

Latest action May 5, 2026

Enacts the "New York open water data act"; directs certain agencies, under the leadership of conveners, to identify and integrate key water data sets; provides an annual plan for existing data to be researched and reported.

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Where it stands

Out of committee and scheduled for a vote by the full chamber.

Introduced
In committee
Up for a vote
Passed one chamber
Passed
Enacted

New York State Senate

Same as A10199, the matching bill in the Assembly.

Committee

Environmental Conservation · New York State Assembly

Also referred to Environmental Conservation · New York State Senate.

Purpose, from the sponsor's memo

Section 1 is the short title. Section 2 defines key terms, including "conveners" (the New York Water Resources Institute at Cornell and New York Sea Grant at Stony Brook), "agencies" (six state and city entities responsible for water manage- ment), and "water data" (a broad category covering inland waters, infrastructure, coastal areas, and sensitive data). Section 3 directs the conveners to facilitate regular planning meetings among the agencies and sets a two-year deadline for the agencies to identify key data needs, develop common collection and dissemination standards, publish water data through the state's OpenNY platform with GIS and API access, and create pathways for citizen science contrib- utions. Agencies must update data quarterly, collaborate with regional and national bodies, and submit annual plans to the governor and legis- lature. Section 4 is the effective date.

Filed with the bill. Read it on nysenate.gov (opens in a new tab)

Recorded votes

Vote: Committee vote · Environmental Conservation
Senate Environmental ConservationMay 5, 2026Result: passed
(10) (1) (0) (0)

The sponsor's argument

Why Rachel May says this is needed

New York has more fresh water than almost anywhere in the country. The Great Lakes, the Finger Lakes, the St. Lawrence, the Hudson, and the aquifers beneath Long Island represent an extraordinary resource. As drought reshapes large parts of the United States and water scarcity becomes a defining political and economic issue, that resource will matter more with each passing decade. Good water policy depends on good water data. Right now, the data exists, but it is scattered across dozens of agencies and entities, collected under different standards, stored in incompatible formats, and largely inaccessible to the public, to researchers, and to the local governments that make decisions about water every day. No one has a complete picture. Western states facing crisis conditions have invested heavily in modern- izing their water data infrastructure. New York does not face the same immediate pressures, but that is exactly why this is the right moment to act. Building the data foundation now, before shortages or conflicts force the issue, means New York can make long-term water management decisions from a position of knowledge rather than scrambling to catch up. This bill establishes the framework to do that. It brings the relevant agencies together under the facilitation of two of the state's leading water research institutions, sets common standards, and makes the resulting data publicly available in usable formats. It includes water affordability data alongside resource data, recognizing that water governance is not only an environmental question but a social one. And it creates an ongoing accountability structure through annual reporting to the governor and legislature.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.

Full history

May 5, 2026
Reported out of committee
REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO FINANCE
NY Senate
Feb 24, 2026
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
NY Senate
Feb 12, 2026
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
NY Assembly

About this record

Summary: The summary comes from NY Open Legislation, the New York State Senate's public record. For more, see How we handle summaries.
Source: From NY Open Legislation, the NY Senate and Assembly, and official rosters. This record was last updated Nov 4, 2026. About our data

Read the record

Read on NY Senate (opens in a new tab) The official record on nysenate.gov.

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