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NYC DEP Cuts Ribbon on Delaware County Offices and Hosts Recruitment Drive

April 11, 2023

New Offices and Job Openings are Part of DEP’s Commitment to Fostering Economic Development and Career Opportunities in the Catskills

DEP Office Facility Located on Route 38 in Arkville

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) cut the ribbon on its new Delaware County office space in Arkville—the heart of New York City’s water supply region—and announced a recruitment drive as part of its continued commitment to promoting career and economic development opportunities throughout watershed communities in the Catskills.

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) cut the ribbon on its new Delaware County office space in Arkville—the heart of New York City’s water supply region—and announced a recruitment drive as part of its continued commitment to promoting career and economic development opportunities throughout watershed communities in the Catskills.

The offices, located at 669 Route 38, were constructed through a partnership between DEP and the Catskill Watershed Corporation (CWC)—a nonprofit that administers several water quality protection programs in the Catskill-Delaware watersheds.

“DEP is committed to strengthening our regional partnerships and investing in the heart of our watershed. These new offices and rewarding career opportunities will help sustain and build upon our partnership with the Catskills communities and CWC for years to come,” said DEP Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala. “Promoting local, well-paying careers also ensures that we can maintain a highly qualified workforce that is able to achieve our shared goal of protecting the environment while delivering high-quality, clean drinking water to half of New York State’s population.”

“The Catskill Watershed Corporation is extremely pleased with DEP’s recruitment efforts, and their commitment to increase staff in Arkville will have long-term benefits to not only the local community, but the watershed as a whole,” said CWC Executive Director Jason Merwin. “A new generation of watershed youth will have the opportunity to return home after getting degrees, an option that has been limited over the years. In addition to the jobs themselves, sharing this new office space with DEP will help boost collaboration and ensure watershed communities benefit from improved efficiencies. CWC looks forward to continuing our long-standing partnership in the years to come.”

DEP is actively recruiting new employees from the Catskills region to fill positions based out of the new complex including Assistant Engineers, Project Managers, and Program Managers, with salaries ranging from $51,000 to $122,000 per year. New employees will be part of an all-local workforce of more than 500 strong and charged with protecting, maintaining, and upgrading the largest municipal water supply system in the nation. Interested candidates can search for jobs and apply for positions by visiting nyc.gov/jobs.

“Today’s grand opening of the DEP’s Delaware County offices in Arkville is not just about bricks and mortar—it’s about creating new opportunities in the Catskills region and reaffirming our commitment to protecting water quality,” said U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro (NY-19). “I’m excited to see this local workforce grow and continue its service to the largest municipal water supply system in the nation.”

“Today’s announcement is great news on several fronts,” said State Senator Peter Oberacker (R,C-Schenevus). “The creation of good paying, professional jobs here in Delaware County is a major development for the region that will pay dividends for years to come. Additionally, the growing synergy between the Department of Environmental Protection and the Catskill Watershed Corporation will lead to the best possible service for the people who live and work here in the Watershed along with the protection of our environment.”

“The new positions at the Department of Environmental Protection Arkville office are wonderful news for Delaware County. Good paying, rewarding careers are always good news, but particularly for our rural communities and in today’s economy, and I hope these positions will be filled locally by the hardworking people of Delaware County,” said State Assemblyman Chris Tague (R,C-Schoharie). “We are so pleased to welcome the DEP as they expand into Arkville and hope to bring more jobs to the community and throughout the Catskill watershed now that the hiring freeze is over.”

“Delaware County is excited to hear about the professional jobs being added to the new facility in Arkville,” said Tine B. Mole, Chair of the Delaware County Board of Supervisors. “The new positions are a welcome addition to the local workforce helping provide jobs for our residents and creating opportunities for people that want to become part of our growing community here in the Catskills.”

DEP’s Arkville offices house employees from the agency’s tree taskforce, regulatory programs, source water protection programs, water supply operations, legal team, and the department’s bureau that oversees large water-supply construction projects. Aside from DEP’s office space, the 35,000-square-foot building also houses the CWC offices, a 144-seat auditorium and an 800-square-foot exhibition area occupied by the Catskill Water Discovery Center, which is open to the public.

Current DEP career postings in Arkville include:

The Catskill Watershed Corporation is a locally staffed non-profit, Local Development Corporation responsible for several environmental protection, economic development, and education programs in the New York City Watershed west of the Hudson River.

DEP manages New York City’s water supply, providing approximately 1 billion gallons of high-quality drinking water each day to nearly 10 million residents. This includes more than 70 upstate communities and institutions in Ulster, Orange, Putnam and Westchester counties who consume an average of 110 million 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, and watershed maintainers 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 $2.7 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 a planned $29 billion in investments over the next 10 years. For more information, visit nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.