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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE04-47

August 31, 2004

Contact: Charles G. Sturcken (718) 595-6600

New Croton Aqueduct to Be Shut Down for Inspection, Repairs and Rehabilitation in Early September

Commissioner Christopher O. Ward of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection announced today that the New Croton Aqueduct will be shut down for inspection, and rehabilitation for nine months from September 2004 to May 2005. This will be the first of two seasonal shutdowns required to complete the work. The second shutdown will take place from September 2005 to March 2006. In both cases, DEP will halt work and reactivate the New Croton Aqueduct to enable affected communities to meet peak summer demands on the water supply. The Croton water supply system is the oldest of the City’s three systems. It normally supplies 10 per cent of the city’s daily water, and in times of drought can provide up to 30 percent if necessary.

Commissioner Ward said, “This work is vital to maintaining the redundancy and operational flexibility of the City’s water supply system. The work has been scheduled for fall and winter, when there is reduced use of water and when alternative sources for areas that customarily receive Croton water is more manageable. In addition, the Catskill and Delaware water supply systems, which will be the primary source for the more than 1 million people to whom Croton water is delivered, are more than 10 percent above normal storage because of high levels of precipitation during the summer months.”

The work to be performed during the shutdown period will consist of the following activities:

  • Visual inspections and investigations behind the tunnel brick liner of the 7 mile section in New York City ;
  • inspection and testing of grouting needs to be used for future rehabilitation of the Aqueduct;
  • inspections of shaft lining and above ground structures, and
  • deployment of an underwater Remote Operated Vehicle to inspect the 350 foot deep Harlem River siphon.

` During the second shutdown, from September 2005 to March 2006, work will include:

  • cleaning and repairing brick tunnel and shaft linings;
  • waterproofing internal sub-surface masonry walls and floor of Aqueduct shaft #9;
  • grouting of voids, cracks and leaks, and of surrounding ground;
  • plugging the connection between the New Croton Aqueduct and the Old Croton Aqueduct; and
  • cleanup of sediment and debris at various locations.

“At certain locations,” said Commissioner Ward, “the Project may result in minimal impacts on surrounding areas as DEP will need to use various points for access and staging. All sites that have been disrupted will be fully restored at the completion of the work.”

During the shutdown, six upstate community water supplies, Villages of Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown , Briarcliff Manor, Ossining and Irvington and United Water New Rochelle, will be required to take water from alternate sources. These communities have back up sources sufficient to meet demand during the shutdown.

 

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