[an error occurred while processing the directive] [an error occurred while processing the directive]
[an error occurred while processing the directive]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 18-84
August 31, 2018
deppressoffice@dep.nyc.gov, (718) 595-6600

NYC Water Top Tasting in Statewide Contest

Untitled

Photos are Available on DEP’s Flickr Page

New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Vincent Sapienza today announced that the City’s tap water was awarded the top prize at the New York State Tap Water Taste Test competition. The statewide event began with 30 municipalities competing in regional competitions with the winners meeting on Thursday at the Great New York State Fair in Syracuse. In the finals, New York City’s tap water was pitted against drinking water from other regional winners, including Saratoga County and the Village of Holley (Orleans County). State Fair visitors sampled tap water from the three suppliers and ranked them by taste, with New York City’s tap water judged the best.

“New York City is known for many things, and we’re proud that our high quality tap water has once again been recognized for its great taste,” said DEP Commissioner Sapienza. “Nearly half the population of New York State drinks our tap water, and many upstate counties host our reservoirs and water supply facilities, so this is an honor we can all share and be proud of.”

The annual taste test competition, which takes place in county, regional, and statewide contests, is organized by the New York State Water and Wastewater Education and Outreach Committee. In the regional contest held at the American Museum of Natural History earlier in the month, New York City’s tap water beat out drinking water from Westchester, Orange, Nassau, and Suffolk counties.

New York City’s tap water is internationally renowned for its quality. New York is one of only five large cities in the country permitted to run a largely unfiltered drinking water supply, due in large part to the City’s comprehensive watershed protection programs. To ensure the water is safe and of the highest quality, DEP performs more than 630,000 analyses of the city’s drinking water every year. Samples are collected from the streams that feed the reservoirs, the reservoirs themselves, the aqueducts that carry the water to the city, and from nearly 1,000 sampling locations throughout the five boroughs. Each year, DEP publishes a Water Supply and Quality Report with detailed information about the water supply and the quality of the City’s drinking water. To view the report click here.

NYC Water is a healthy alternative to sugar-sweetened beverages, containing zero calories, zero sugar, and zero fat. It is also affordable—at roughly one penny per gallon, it is approximately 1,000 times less expensive than bottled water. In addition, drinking NYC Water helps to protect the environment, as the production of plastic water bottles for use in the United States uses 1.5 million barrels of oil a year—enough to power 250,000 homes or 100,000 cars all year.

DEP manages New York City’s water supply, providing more than 1 billion gallons of water each day to more than 9 million residents, including 8.6 million in New York City. The water is delivered from a watershed that extends more than 125 miles from the city, comprising 19 reservoirs and three controlled lakes. Approximately 7,000 miles of water mains, tunnels and aqueducts bring water to homes and businesses throughout the five boroughs, and 7,500 miles of sewer lines and 96 pump stations take wastewater to 14 in-city treatment plants. DEP has nearly 6,000 employees, including almost 1,000 in the upstate watershed. In addition, DEP has a robust capital program, with a planned $19.4 billion in investments 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.

[an error occurred while processing the directive]
 [an error occurred while processing the directive]
[an error occurred while processing the directive]