| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 18-44 Department of Environmental Protection to Finish Installation of Security Cameras at New Croton DamPlanned upgrade is part of an ongoing systemwide effort to ensure water supply securityRecreation path atop dam will be closed Tuesday, May 8 to complete installationThe New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today announced that it will close the recreation path atop New Croton Dam on May 8 to finish the installation of security cameras as part of a longstanding effort to bolster security at key spots within New York City’s water supply system. The department’s Bureau of Police & Security oversees the installation of this security equipment. Several security cameras have already been installed at New Croton Dam, and that work will finish on Tuesday with the installation of the final cameras and poles for mounting them. The recreation path on the dam will reopen when the work is completed. Similar cameras have been installed at other reservoirs, dams and treatment facilities to improve 24-hour monitoring and ensure the security of the water supply for 9.6 million New Yorkers. The DEP Police Division was established more than 100 years ago. It’s more than 200 sworn officers are charged with protecting the City’s water supply system, which includes more than 2,000 square miles of watershed land across nine counties, hundreds of miles of tunnels and aqueducts, 14 wastewater treatment plants, laboratories, and chlorination facilities. DEP police patrol the watershed by foot, bicycle, all-terrain vehicle, motorcycle, boat and helicopter. They also maintain specially trained units that include a detective bureau, emergency service unit, canine unit and aviation unit. DEP manages New York City’s water supply, providing more than 1 billion gallons of high-quality water each day to more than 9.6 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 other professionals in the watershed. In addition to its $70 million payroll and $166 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 $18.9 billion in investments planned over the next decade that will create up to 3,000 construction-related jobs per year. For more information, visit nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter. | |