August 10, 2020

The following is a statement from New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Vincent Sapienza on the expert review of DEP’s watershed protection programs, which was released on Aug. 10 by The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

“I want to thank The National Academies and its expert panel for their thorough, honest and objective review of our watershed protection programs. Their comprehensive study sets an agenda for discussions in the coming years between DEP, our regulators, and our watershed partners, as we collaborate on future efforts to protect water quality and promote community vitality in the watershed.

“In its report, the expert panel applauded the unique partnerships and science-based outcomes that make our programs a worldwide model for protecting water at its source. The report notes that our watershed protection efforts have maintained or improved water quality throughout the reservoir system, and that they are likely to remain effective in the future. We are also proud that the water supply passed a ‘stress test,’ which used a computer model to test the reservoir system against a set of storms double the size of Irene and Lee combined. The experts concluded that watershed protection efforts and the flexibility of our water supply system can protect water quality even under the most extreme conditions.

“The report also includes dozens of recommendations for DEP, its partners and regulators to consider as we choose priorities and plan for the coming decades. The expert panel identified many of the challenges that lie ahead, including the need to protect out water supply from turbidity and nutrients, planning for the effects of global climate change, and making good on our pledge to balance water quality protection with the economic vitality of watershed communities. We agree with the experts’ conclusion that some elements of our watershed protection program must evolve to meet the future needs of the water supply and its host communities. Programs hatched in the 1990s do not necessarily meet the same needs and goals of 2020, or future decades. DEP, its partners, and our programs must adapt to changing conditions in the watershed and water supply, social and regulatory changes, and the needs of surrounding communities.

“DEP is committed to having fair, open-minded and honest discussions with our partners as we examine this report together and think about the future. Given the complexity of our work, the agreements and contracts that guide our programs, and the fiscal stress inflicted by a global pandemic, we expect it could take considerable time before we reach agreement on, and ultimately implement, some of the core recommendations in the report. We look forward to starting that work soon and continuing this uniquely successful partnership with our neighbors in the watershed.”

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 $168.9 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 $20.1 billion in investments planned over the next decade that will create up to 3,000 construction-related jobs per year. For more information, visit http://nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.