September 22, 2014

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

Department of Environmental Protection Announces Sewer Line Extension in Town of Shandaken

Extension of sewer lines near Pine Hill will provide wastewater collection and treatment to 25 additional homes and protect water quality by replacing 25 individual septic systems

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today announced the start of work on a $2 million sewer line extension in the Town of Shandaken that will provide wastewater collection and treatment to 25 additional homes and businesses that currently rely on individual septic systems. The project includes the installation of approximately 3,250 linear feet of gravity sewer mains, 1,985 feet of force main, and a pump station located along State Route 28. DEP will also install 3,430 linear feet of laterals from the sewer mains to each home or business on Route 28 that is served by the extension. Wastewater collected by the extension will be processed at the Pine Hill Wastewater Treatment Plant, which is owned and operated by DEP. Septic systems replaced by the extension include several that the Catskill Watershed Corporation has been monitoring for years because they were at risk of failure. Construction of the extension, pump station, and laterals is expected to be complete in approximately one year.
 
Route 28 will be subject to minor traffic pattern changes during construction to allow for safe work along the shoulder. In recent weeks, DEP has met with the state Department of Transportation and Shandaken officials to ensure appropriate traffic control measures are in place to protect the safety of motorists and workers. In addition, town officials mailed letters to property owners in the project area to provide information about the initiative. The sewer line extension project, which is located just east of the Pine Hill Wastewater Treatment Plant, will also include restoration to paving and landscaping once the sewer mains, laterals and pump station are completed.
 
DEP manages New York City’s water supply, providing more than one billion gallons of high quality water each day to more than 9 million New Yorkers. This includes more than 70 upstate communities and institutions in Ulster, Orange, Putnam and Westchester counties who consume an average of 110 million total gallons of drinking water daily from New York City’s water supply system. 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 has nearly 6,000 employees, including almost 1,000 scientists, engineers, surveyors, watershed maintainers and others professionals in the upstate watershed. In addition to its $70 million payroll and $157 million in annual taxes paid in upstate counties, DEP has invested more than $1.7 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 nearly $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 nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook at facebook.com/nycwater, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/nycwater.