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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 13-95

September 12, 2013

CONTACT:

Adam Bosch (845) 334-7868 / Christopher Gilbride (718) 595-6600

Department of Environmental Protection Announces Upcoming Road Closures in Catskill Watershed

Short-term, temporary closures at roads near Ashokan Reservoir and Schoharie Reservoir

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection announced Thursday that two roads will be closed for short periods of time next week so that construction crews can work safely on repairs. The closures include:

  • Reservoir Road, which bisects Ashokan Reservoir in Ulster County, will be closed for one hour on Sept. 17 while construction crews replace gates that are situated beneath the roadway. The closure is expected to last from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m. A crane will remove concrete slabs and replace the gates, which are used to move water between the reservoirs two basins. Message boards have been placed at both ends of the roadway to alert motorists ahead of time. Ulster County Emergency Management, local and state police, local fire departments, town officials and the Onteora School District have been informed of the temporary road closure.
  • Road 7, which runs alongside Schoharie Reservoir between Route 30 and Route 23 in the towns of Roxbury and Gilboa, will be closed for a maximum of five days starting Sept. 16. Construction crews will be taking borings from the gravel road in preparation to rebuild it in 2014. Emergency management offices in Delaware, Greene and Schoharie counties have been notified, along with local town officials. A detour will be posted when the road is closed.

DEP manages New York City’s water supply, providing more than one billion gallons of water each day to more than 9 million residents, including 8.3 million in New York City, and residents of Ulster, Orange, Putnam, and Westchester counties. This water comes 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 almost 1,000 scientists, engineers, surveyors, watershed maintainers and others professionals in the upstate watershed. In addition to its $68 million payroll and $157 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 over $14 billion in investments planned over the next 10 years that will create 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.

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