The Croton Water Filtration Plant Project Quarterly Notice

DEP Circulates Quarterly Notices to Manhattan and Bronx Consumers About  Croton Water Supply and the Construction of the Croton Water Filtration Plant

Manhattan and Bronx residents who are consumers of Croton water are mailed a notice in January, April, July and October of each year entitled:  “IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR CUSTOMERS OF THE NEW YORK CITY CROTON WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM.”

Since Croton system water is not currently filtered, which under federal law and State regulations the City is mandated to do, DEP has been required since 1993 to send a quarterly notice to Croton water consumers explaining the need for filtration and to provide the City’s schedule for filtering the water. This brochure contains important information about protecting the City’s water supply, Croton system water, filtration, and the law that requires filtration. Residents who receive the mailing are encouraged to take the time to read it.

The Croton water supply system presently meets all State and federal health-related standards, but can experience seasonal water quality problems (discoloration), due to the presence of the water’s naturally occurring minerals and organic matter, a condition that doesn’t usually occur in the City’s two largest systems, the Catskill and Delaware. To ensure the high quality of the Croton water supply for future generations of New Yorkers, and ensure compliance with stricter water quality standards, the City has started the construction of a filtration plant for Croton system water in accordance with the terms of a November 1998 federal court consent decree entered into with the United States and New York State.

The City evaluated three locations for the facility, and in July 2003 the Governor approved the State Legislature’s authorizing the alienation of parkland for the Mosholu Golf Course site in the Bronx. In June 2004, with the release of a Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement,  evaluating the three sites, the Mosholu Golf Course site in VanCortlandt Park  was identified as the preferred site. The first phase of construction of the Croton Filtration Plant started in September 2004, and the second and third phases followed respectively in 2006 and 2007. Work continues to make steady progress in 2009.

Consumers who have further questions about filtration of the Croton Water Supply System should visit the DEP web site at nyc.gov/dep, or contact the Bureau of Communications & Intergovernmental Affairs at (718) 595-6600.    
 
Click here for current Croton Water Supply System brochure (October 15, 2009) (PDF)