Press Release Archives #075-97 Water Tunnel Breakthrough

Archives of the Mayor's Press Office

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: February 9, 1997

Release #075-97

Contact: Colleen Roche (212) 788-2958 or Cathy DelliCarpini (718) 595-6600 (DEP)

MAYOR GIULIANI AND DEP COMMISSIONER MIELE CELEBRATE THE THIRD WATER TUNNEL BREAKTHROUGH

Brooklyn and Queens Portions of Tunnel Meet 700 Feet Below Ground

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Joel A. Miele today commemorated the holing-through of the Brooklyn and Queens portions of City Water Tunnel Number 3 at a ceremony in Queens. City Water Tunnel Number 3 represents the largest capital construction project in the City's history and is the largest tunneling project in North America. Joining the Mayor and Commissioner Miele at today's celebration was Queens Borough President Claire Shulman.

"Today marks an historic moment for New York City, and comes less than a month after yet another historic event that will help to protect the quality of our water supply for generations to come," Mayor Giuliani said. "The signing of the Watershed Agreement between New York City, New York State, the watershed communities and the Environmental Protection Agency ensures that New Yorkers will continue to enjoy the highest quality drinking water. And just as the Watershed Agreement was a milestone in the protection of our water quality, today's event is a milestone in the protection of our water supply."

The Mayor continued, "As we enter a new millennium, the cornerstone of a successful and competitive urban center will be a healthy environment and a vigorous economy. Economic growth will demand a reliable infrastructure and the delivery of essential services. The Third Water Tunnel will help New York City meet this challenge."

The Mayor also paid special tribute to the 22 workers who have died since construction of this tunnel began. "I would like to take a moment to honor the 22 workers, heroes in the service of our City, who have died during the construction of this tunnel. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten."

The construction of the 60 mile water tunnel is taking place some 600 feet underground and is divided into four stages:

Stage One connects the City with the Hillview Reservoir in Yonkers, extending south from Hillview, through the Bronx, into Manhattan, beneath Central Park, under the East River and Roosevelt Island and into Astoria, Queens at a cost of $1 billion.
Stage Two, the current stage, runs from Red Hook, Brooklyn to Maspeth, Queens at a cost of $1.5 billion.
Stage Three will connect the Kensico Reservoir with the Van Cortland Park valve chamber in the Bronx at a cost of $1.5 billion.
Stage Four will run 14 miles from the Van Cortland Park valve chamber, southeast through the Bronx, under the East River and into Flushing, Queens at a cost of $1.5 billion. The total budget for the Third Water Tunnel Project is between $5.5 and $6 billion

Instrumental in the tunnel construction project is the Tunnel Boring Machine, a 19 feet in diameter, 450-ton machine that bores through some of the hardest rock on Earth and has helped to improve the efficiency and safety of the Tunnel's construction. The equipment used to dig this tunnel is the same that was used to dig the underwater "Chunnel" that connected mainland France to the United Kingdom.

When completed in the year 2020, the Third Water Tunnel will provide New Yorkers with an alternative source of water delivery; reduce peak flows; facilitate the repair and inspection of the City's two other tunnels; and increase the City's capacity to deliver water to residents.