January 31, 2014

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deppressoffice@dep.nyc.gov, (845) 334-7868

Department of Environmental Protection and Delaware County Announce $1 Million Agreement for Roadwork Near Pepacton Reservoir

Intergovernmental Agreement Will Allow for Improvement of 2.2 Miles of Roadway

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Delaware County today announced an agreement through which the department will provide $1 million to the County for the reconstruction of roughly 2.2 miles of City-owned roadway along Pepacton Reservoir.  The Delaware County Department of Public Works (DPW) will reconstruct BWS Road 4 this year to improve driving conditions and enhance safety.  The road is located along the north shore of Pepacton Reservoir in the Town of Andes, where it connects Route 30 with County Route 1.  The Shavertown Bridge boat launch and newly opened hiking trail are both located along the road.  The rehabilitation will include paving and striping, guiderail replacement, upgrades to the road shoulders, and the cleaning of roadside drainage ditches.

This is the second intergovernmental agreement between the City and Delaware County for roadwork over the past three years. The first agreement, also for $1 million in 2012, reconstructed 2.1-miles of NYC Highway 30A. New York City water ratepayers and Delaware County taxpayers will save money by using the County's road crews to perform maintenance on DEP-owned roads.

“These roadway maintenance agreements ensure the reliability of infrastructure that’s critical to the community and to our ability to maintain the City’s water supply,” said DEP Commissioner Carter Strickland.  “I want to thank Chairman Jim Eisel of the Delaware County Board of Supervisors and DPW Commissioner Wayne Reynolds for overseeing this project, which serves as another example of productive collaboration between the City and its partners throughout the watershed.”

“This agreement with DEP is mutually beneficial for the people of Delaware County and the City’s water supply,” said Delaware County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jim Eisel. “It will help the County control escalating roadwork costs, while also ensuring smooth, safe travel on roads that surround the reservoirs.”

“Our public works crew is happy to be working with the City again,” said County DPW Commissioner Wayne Reynolds. “The rehabilitation of this road near Shavertown Bridge will make it safer for drivers, and we hope to do more work with DEP in the future.”

DEP maintains and operates 95 miles of roadways in the Catskill and Delaware watersheds, including 40 miles of public roads near the Pepacton and Cannonsville reservoirs in Delaware County.

DEP manages New York City’s water supply, providing more than one billion gallons of water each day to more than 9 million residents, including 8.3 million in New York City, and residents of Ulster, Orange, Putnam, and Westchester counties. 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 employs nearly 6,000 employees, including almost 1,000 scientists, engineers, surveyors, watershed maintainers and others professionals in the upstate watershed. In addition to its $68 million payroll and $157 million in annual taxes paid in upstate counties, DEP has invested more than $1.5 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 over $14 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 www.nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nycwater, or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/nycwater.