Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Administrator Michael Leavitt, Region II Administrator Jane Kenny and New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Christopher O. Ward announced today that New York City has committed an additional $25 million for acquiring environmentally sensitive land in its Croton watershed.  The City has acquired over 50,000 acres of watershed property under its Land Acquisition Program since 1997, when the Watershed Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) and EPA's filtration avoidance determination was signed, more than doubling its land holdings in the area.  The $25 million pledged today will acquire up to 700 acres of land in Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess County.

"Land acquisition is an extremely important part of the City's watershed protection effort," said Mayor Bloomberg.  "This Administration is maintaining the commitment made by Mayor Giuliani to protect our water supply.  Although we are required to build a filtration plant for Croton system water, we're also taking further steps that are necessary to protect that watershed long-term."

"The New York City Watershed Partnership is one of the finest examples of the kind of collaboration needed to make successful watershed protection possible," said Administrator Leavitt.  "By protecting the Catskill/Delaware watershed, we not only protect the water consumed by nine million people, we protect the beauty of the land from which it flows.  I'm also pleased that the City is furthering its efforts to protect the watershed for its Croton water supply.  While Croton water must be filtered, watershed protection is still a smart investment because it further safeguards the water and helps preserve what is, in that area of New York State, very limited open space."

"Land acquisition allows the City to forever protect valuable watershed property from development and pollution," said Commissioner Ward.  "The response from landowners to the Program has been remarkable.  To date, over 680 willing sellers have agreed to accept the City's fair market value purchase offers, either selling land outright or granting conservation easements.  We will continue to identify strategic properties through this successful program through at least 2007."

"Under Governor George Pataki's leadership, New York State has committed $17.5 million to protect environmentally sensitive lands within the Croton watershed, with more than 800 acres already preserved," said New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Erin M. Crotty.  "DEC congratulates New York City on reaching the 50,000-acre mark and looks forward to continuing to work with the City, EPA, and the upstate watershed municipalities to further protect the quality and purity of the water supply that benefits millions of New Yorkers."

"The City's action today is a solid step forward in addressing one of the environmental communities biggest concerns for the City's drinking water- that the City will abandon the Croton Watershed to developers after a Croton filtration plant is built," said Eric Goldstein, Urban Program Co-director for the Natural Resources Defense Council. "The Croton Watershed should receive the same consideration that the City's other watersheds receive, and this commitment brings us closer to that goal. The City is to be commended for an infusion of cash into such an important cause."

"The on-going DEP watershed land acquisition program, now augmented by the City's pledge announced today to increase its land protection efforts in the Croton watershed system, indicates that the City is truly sincere about watershed protection, not only in the Catskill-Delaware watershed west-of-Hudson, but in the Croton system east-of-Hudson," said James T.B. Tripp, General Counsel of Environmental Defense.  "We applaud this effort that recognizes that Croton filtration and watershed land protection reinforce each other.  At the same time, we hope that all of the counties and towns that have land in the Croton watershed will step up to the plate and help to provide additional resources that will complement those from the City, as well as the State."

In 1993, EPA granted New York City a waiver from filtering water coming from the Catskill/Delaware Watershed that was extended in 2002. The Filtration Avoidance Determination was predicated on the City's implementation of a number of specific, long-term watershed protection measures.  Since 1997, the City has committed over $135 million to either purchase outright or acquire conservation easements on a total of 52,574 acres in the Croton and Catskill/Delaware watersheds. 

The Croton watershed provides the City with around 10% of its daily supply from a 220,000-acre (345-square-mile) watershed in Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties.  Over 1,200 acres in the Croton watershed has been secured under fee simple or conservation easement by the City and State since 1997, bringing its total holdings in the area to over 10,200 acres, or around five percent of the total watershed.

The Catskill/Delaware watershed provides the City with 90% of its daily supply from the Catskill Mountains west of the Hudson River in conjunction with the West Branch Reservoir in Putnam County and the Kensico Reservoir in Westchester.  Over 51,000 acres in Catskill/Delaware have been secured under fee simple or conservation easement since 1997, including over 6,000 acres placed under farm easements by the Watershed Agricultural Council using City funds.  The City now owns 7.9% of the 1.05-million-acre (1,640-square-mile) Catskill/Delaware watershed, up from 3.7% in 1997.

The Land Acquisition Program acquires land or conservation easements at fair market value from willing sellers only, and pays property taxes in proportion to the property rights acquired.  Conservation easements can allow landowners to continue passive uses of their property, while the City pays for the value of development rights and takes on a proportion of the seller's property tax burden in perpetuity.  To date over 55 easements have been secured by the City or its partner, the Watershed Agricultural Council.  All such properties are purchased under conditions established by the 1997 Watershed Memorandum of Agreement, which was signed by the City, local communities, New York State, the USEPA and environmental organizations.

More information about watershed protection, the land acquisition program and recreational opportunities in the watershed is available at the Department of Environmental Protection's web site at www.nyc.gov.