MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG, EPA REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR
JANE M. KENNY AND DEP COMMISSIONER CHRISTOPHER O. WARD ANNOUNCE FILTRATION AVOIDANCE AGREEMENT FOR NEW YORK RESERVOIRS

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg joined by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Administrator Jane M. Kenny, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Erin M. Crotty and New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Christopher O. Ward announced the signing of Filtration Avoidance Determination (FAD) that waives Federal Requirements to filter drinking water from the Caskill/Delaware Watershed. The announcement was made at the Ashokan Reservoir in Shokan, New York.

"The EPA's for granting of another 5-year Filtration Avoidance Determination is testament to the City's efforts to protect and improve water quality in the reservoirs and source waters of these beautiful watersheds," said Mayor Bloomberg. "The extension of the FAD will enable us to ensure the water supply serving nine million people in the New York City and the Metropolitan Region remains clean and healthy. This investment will also allow the City to hold off on designing and building a multi-billion dollar filtration plant. At a time when the City is facing its most difficult financial crisis in decades, filtration avoidance proves that we can work together to creatively resolve issues of common concern and prevent unnecessary expenditures."

"Today's action is only possible because of a remarkable partnership," said Regional Administrator Kenny. "A partnership not only between EPA and the city, but between the city and all the communities in upstate New York whose water sources feed into the city's reservoir system. This agreement truly helps everyone - those who live and work in the city and those upstate who benefit from a cleaner environment."

"Protecting the watershed, preserving the public health, and promoting economic development in upstate communities has required the balancing of numerous residential, agricultural, commercial, industrial, and recreational interests," said Commissioner Ward. "The key to the success of the watershed protection program has been the enormous support and commitment of the City's watershed partners, including the federal government, the State of New York, eight counties, dozens of towns and villages, organizations such as the Catskill Watershed Corporation, the Watershed Agricultural Council, the Coalition of Watershed Towns and the Watershed Protection and Partnership Council."

The number and diversity of programs created to help the City maintain filtration avoidance speaks to the complexities of protecting the quality of water for all users of the Catskill and Delaware systems. This FAD will enable the City to maintain or expand existing programs, as well as create new ones to address developing issues in meeting the standards set by the Surface Water Treatment Rule. These programs include:

In addition to funds already in place through the 1997 Watershed Memorandum of Agreement, these protection programs will commit approximately $140 million in investment in the watersheds over the next five years.

All drinking water taken from surface water sources must, under the Surface Water Treatment Rule of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, be filtered to remove microbial contaminants. The law allows EPA to grant a waiver from this requirement to water suppliers if they demonstrate that they have an effective watershed control program and that their water meets strict quality standards. EPA granted such a waiver, called a Filtration Avoidance Determination (FAD), to New York City in 1997 for water coming from the Catskill/Delaware watershed, which provides 90% of the city's drinking water. The FAD was predicated on the city's implementation of a number of specific long-term watershed protection measures, which it agreed to undertake on a set schedule. In December 2001, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) submitted a revised long-term watershed protection plan to EPA, seeking a continued waiver. Based on a review of the plan and consideration of comments received from the public at meetings held in 2001 and from a public comment period this past summer, EPA has approved an extension of the FAD.

New York City is in process of sighting a filtration plant for the Croton System, which supplies the remaining 10% of the City's water. The EPA has mandated that the plant be operational no later than 2011.