January 30, 2012

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Farrell Sklerov / Michael Saucier (718) 595-6600

DEP Completes Upgrade of Connections to New Croton Aqueduct for Three Westchester Communities

Increases Reliability of Water Supply for Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow, and Briarcliff Manor

 

Environmental Protection Commissioner Carter Strickland today announced the upgrade of existing connections to the New Croton Aqueduct for the Villages of Briarcliff Manor, Tarrytown, and Sleepy Hollow. The New Croton Aqueduct serves as a backup water supply for these villages and the rehabilitation of the shafts and repairs to the pumps increase the reliability in their backup system, particularly with any construction-related or other shutdowns to their primary water source, the Catskill Aqueduct. The rehabilitations of the villages' connections to the New Croton Aqueduct gives DEP increased operational flexibility to allow shutdowns of a segment of the Catskill Aqueduct for repair and maintenance, while continuing to sell water to those communities. Approximately 822,000 Westchester County residents take New York City water. Construction for the connections began in May 2009 and DEP contributed $1.1 million toward labor costs of the repairs to the shafts and pump equipment and connecting the towns. Some funding was contributed by the villages.

"The work that was completed gives our water supply system more reliability and it will help the communities in times when we need to shut down the Catskill Aqueduct, such as later this year when a portion of aqueduct will be shut down following completion of the $1.6 billion Ultraviolet Disinfection Facility," said Commissioner Strickland. "The villages will continue to have some of the best quality water in the country, even when their primary source has to be shut down." We look forward to completing the rest of the work on the New Croton Aqueduct this summer, which will supply the Croton Water Filtration Plant once it comes online."

"In Tarrytown, the New Croton Aqueduct serves as the back-up system to the Catskill Aqueduct and is an important link in our ability to provide drinking water to consumers in the Village," said Village of Tarrytown Administrator Mike Blau. "We greatly appreciate the ability to work with the DEP to upgrade our system to obtain water from the New Croton Aqueduct.  With the assistance of the DEP, we believe that the reliability of our system has been greatly improved."

"Even with our new Catskill tap, Briarcliff Manor has always considered the New Croton Aqueduct as a central water source," said Village of Briarcliff Manor Manager Philip E. Zegarelli. "We continue to believe so now, in particular, that vital New Croton Aqueduct upgrades have been made. We have several system taps and it is important to us to maintain water sourcing flexibility. This is vital on a local basis but also to enable the DEP to make the repairs and upgrades to its water system."

"The New Croton Aqueduct connection has enabled the Village of Sleepy Hollow to provide uninterrupted water service to our residents, while the Catskill Aqueduct is shutdown," said Village of Sleepy Hollow Administrator Anthony Giaccio. "Prior to the connection being made, the Catskill Aqueduct was Sleepy Hollow's only water source because, unlike other communities, we do not have access to water from the Delaware Aqueduct. Obviously, having this reliable water source has been essential to the health, safety and well-being of our residents."

Completed portion of the New Croton Aqueduct in Manhattan.

Additional, ongoing work for the New Croton Aqueduct includes the completion of connections at a shaft site and the installation of a concrete plug in the Bronx; and the completion of brick work, grouting and the installation of a 10-foot diameter shaft cap in the Manhattan section of the tunnel. The 33-mile New Croton Aqueduct, placed into service around 1890, runs from the New Croton Reservoir in Westchester County to the Jerome Park Reservoir in the Bronx, where drinking water is distributed to neighborhoods in the Bronx and upper Manhattan, before emptying into City Water Tunnel No. 1. The work was undertaken in conjunction with construction of the Croton Water Filtration Plant in the Bronx. The New Croton Aqueduct will eventually be used to feed the filtration plant when it will be placed into service in 2013. The total cost of the New Croton Aqueduct upgrade is $177 million and all of the work is scheduled to be completed this summer.

DEP manages the city's water supply, providing more than one billion gallons of water each day to more than nine million residents, including eight million in New York City, and residents of Ulster, Orange, Putnam and Westchester counties.  This water comes from from the Catskill, Delaware, and Croton watersheds that extend more than 125 miles from the City, and the system comprises 19 reservoirs, three controlled lakes, and numerous tunnels and aqueducts. DEP employs nearly 6,000 employees, including approximately 750 scientists, engineers, surveyors, watershed maintainers and others professionals in the upstate watershed  In addition to its $49 million payroll and $132 million in annual taxes paid in upstate counties, DEP has invested more than $1.5 billion in watershed protection programs—including partnership organizations such as the Catskill Watershed Corporation and the Watershed Agricultural Council—that support sustainable farming practices, environmentally sensitive economic development, and local economic opportunity. In addition, DEP has a robust capital program with a planned $13.2 billion in investments over the next 10 years that creates up to 3,000 construction-related jobs per year. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nycwater, or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/nycwater.