February 11, 2010

CONTACT:

Michael Saucier/Mercedes Padilla (718) 595-6600

DEP to Kick Off Five-Borough Community Outreach Tour

Opportunity for Residents to Discuss Water Projects and Initiatives with New DEP Commissioner

Environmental Protection Commissioner Cas Holloway today announced a series of community meetings to be held in each of the five boroughs to discuss Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) projects and initiatives. Open to the public, the meetings will focus on current and planned water and sewer capital upgrades, customer service initiatives, and the water rate study the DEP recently completed. These meetings will be in addition to the planned water rate hearings in the spring, though customers will be able to ask questions about water rates and provide input, as DEP begins the annual water and sewer rate-setting process for Fiscal Year 2011. Customer service representatives will be on hand at the meetings to answer specific questions about individual accounts.

 "I look forward to discussing the important work that the 6,000 men and women of DEP do each day to design, build, maintain, and manage New York City’s water system," said Commissioner Holloway. "We initiated these meetings to give New Yorkers an opportunity to hear more about the work DEP is doing in neighborhoods throughout the City, and how we finance that work to supply, distribute, and treat more than one billion gallons the best drinking water in the country every day. The meetings are also a chance for DEP to hear directly from our customers and to address their questions and concerns."

 Doors open at 6 p.m., and the meetings start at 7 p.m. Customer service representatives will be on hand throughout the evening to speak to customers about individual accounts. Those who cannot attend but want to offer feedback can go to www.nyc.gov/dep and click on Contact Us. The dates and locations for each meeting are as follows:

Queens: Tuesday, February 16 at Majority Baptist Church, 115-21 Farmers Blvd.

Bronx: Thursday, February 18 at Hutchinson Metro Center, 1200 Waters Place

Brooklyn: Tuesday, February 23 at I.S. 303, 501 West Avenue

Staten Island: Thursday, February 25 at Bernikow Jewish Center, 1466 Manor Road

Manhattan: Tuesday, March 2 at Isabella Geriatric Center, 515 Audubon Ave.

DEP manages the City’s water supply, providing more than 1 billion gallons of water each day to more than 9 million residents, including 8 million in New York City. Approximately 7,000 miles of water mains, tunnels and aqueducts bring water to homes and businesses and 7,400 miles of sewer lines take wastewater to 14 in-City treatment plants. DEP also manages storm water throughout the City and ensures that the City’s facilities comply with the Clean Water Act, and other federal, state and local rules and regulations.