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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 17-95
October 21, 2017
deppressoffice@dep.nyc.gov, (845) 334-7868

NYC DEP Statement on Long-term Agreement for Delaware River Flow Management Program

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection today released the following statement from Deputy Commissioner Paul Rush.

“New York City is pleased that the Decree Parties today committed to a long-term agreement that balances the myriad interests connected to the Delaware River. The 10-year program protects public health for millions of Americans by sustaining their supplies of high-quality drinking water. The agreement also expands efforts to enhance flood attenuation and support the outdoor recreation economy of the upper Delaware River through the protection of its natural ecology and wild trout fishery.

“Importantly, the new agreement was built upon untold hours of scientific work and data analyses that aimed to advance the interests of all stakeholders without detriment to any of them.

“That work does not end here. The new agreement requires the Decree Parties to pursue a number of scientific studies related to salinity intrusion in the lower Delaware River, the calculation of water available to be released downstream of New York City’s reservoirs, and other topics related to the natural resources of the basin.

“New York City will approach the work ahead with the same spirit of collaboration that yielded the new flow-management program today.”

More information about the Flexible Flow Management Program will be available on the website of the Office of the Delaware River Master.

DEP manages New York City’s water supply, providing more than 1 billion gallons of high-quality water each day to more than 9.5 million New Yorkers. This includes more than 70 upstate communities and institutions in Ulster, Orange, Putnam and Westchester counties who consume an average of 110 million total gallons of drinking water daily from New York City’s water supply system. 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 has nearly 6,000 employees, including almost 1,000 scientists, engineers, surveyors, watershed maintainers and other professionals in the watershed. In addition to its $70 million payroll and $166 million in annual taxes paid in upstate counties, DEP has invested more than $1.7 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 $20.7 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 nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.

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