water 1385

New York City Department of
Environmental Protection

NEW YORK CITY
WATER TUNNELS AND
DISTRIBUTION AREAS

been contemplated for decades before the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) de-
termined in the early 1990s that Croton filtra-
tion was necessary for city compliance with
the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. Still,
the siting of the plant at the Moshulu Golf
Course in Van Cortlandt Park was controver-
sial. The projected cost of the facility, origi-
nally estimated at $660 million in 1998, had
jumped to approximately $2.8 billion a decade
later. The city expects that the plant, designed
to treat up to 290 million gallons (1098 mil-
lion liters) of water a day by filtering micro-
biological contaminants, will also alleviate
intermittent problems with color, odor, and
taste and enhance the dependability of the
Croton supply. The facility was scheduled to
begin operating in 2012.

In an effort to prevent pollution at its source and stave off filtration for the much larger Catskill and Delaware systems, the city in the early 1990s began efforts to implement a watershed protection strategy. In 1992 city environmental protection commissioner Albert Appleton launched a cooperative program with upstate farmers to reduce agricultural runoff into watershed tributaries. By 2008 more than 450 participating farms had implemented best management practices. But an upstate coalition objected to new city rules governing other watershed activities and sued to block their implementation. In 1997 city, state, and watershed stakeholders signed a milestone accord, brokered by Governor George Pataki, that bridged the impasse. The upstate-downstate watershed agreement pro-

vided for the city's acquisition from willing
sellers of critical land parcels around reser-
voirs and tributaries, for city-funded upgrades
to watershed sewage plants, and for the ap-
plication of new rules governing storm-water
discharges and other polluting activities in
the watershed. New partnership programs
to benefit watershed communities were also
funded as part of the city's 10-year, $1.5-billion
watershed protection initiative. In response
to the city's commitment to implementing
these and other programs and to continuing
to meet water-quality standards, the EPA
granted the city a filtration waiver for the
Catskill and Delaware systems. The EPA is-
sued a 10-year renewal of that waiver, adding
additional requirements, in 2007. By then the
costs to construct massive filtration facilities

# New York City Watershed System

## Catskill System, 1905-1928

* Consists of Ashoken and Scholarie Reservoirs, the Shandaken Tunnel, the Catskill Aqueduct, and the Kensico and Hillview Reservoirs

* Provides 40% of the city's water supply

* Supplies 600 million gallons per day

## Delaware System, 1940-1964

* Consists of Cannonsville, Pepacton, Neversink and Rondout Reservoirs, and the Delaware Aqueduct

* Provides 50% of the city's water supply

* Supplies 890 million gallons per day

## Croton System, 1842-1917

* Contains twelve reservoirs, three controlled lakes, the Croton Aqueduct, and the Jerome and Central Park Reservoirs

* Provides 10% of the city's water supply

* Supplies 180 million gallons per day

## In-city Distribution System, 1917-today

* Consists of three water tunnels and water main network

Source: NYC Department of Environmental Protection

New York City Water
Distribution System

Modernize in-city
distribution

Some of the oldest parts of our system are the tunnels, water mains, and pipes that carry water to the homes of New Yorkers. More than 1,000 miles of water pipes — out of 6,700 — are already more than a century old. Our two water tunnels were built in 1917 and 1936 and they each serve distinct parts of the city.

In order to conduct maintenance, we must develop ways to distribute water across the city when the tunnels are out of service. Once they are shut down, we must be prepared for a lengthy rehabilitation period. We will need to design and build equipment especially for this reconstruction.

In order to provide the necessary window, we must complete Water Tunnel No. 3 to provide full redundancy for the system. We must also continue to aggressively upgrade and replace aging street mains. (See map: New York City Water Distribution System)

INITIATIVE 7

Complete Water Tunnel No. 3

We will complete construction of and
begin repairing Water Tunnel No. 1

Construction on Water Tunnel No. 3, the largest and most expensive capital project in the city's history, began in 1970. The 60-mile tunnel was designed in four stages, beginning at the Hillview reservoir in Yonkers, traveling through the Bronx, moving south to the tip of Manhattan and then on to Brooklyn and Queens.

Stage 1, which serves northern Manhattan and parts of the Bronx, was projected to cost $238 million and be completed within eight years. It finally opened in 1998 — at a cost of a billion dollars. (See case study on following page: Water Tunnel No. 3 Case Study)

Stage 2 is currently under construction in Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan and will begin delivering water in two stages: the Brooklyn/Queens leg will open in 2009, with the Manhattan leg following in 2012. Although Stage 2 will not provide full redundancy for the in-city distribution, its completion will enable Water Tunnel No. 1 to be shut down for repairs, which are estimated to cost $365 million.

We will complete Stages 3 and 4
of Water Tunnel No. 3

The third stage of the water tunnel, also known as the Kensico City Tunnel (KCT), will extend from the Kensico-Reservoir to the valve chamber in the Bronx. This 16-mile section, currently in the planning stage will provide critical redundancy between the Kensico and Hillview reservoirs. Although this stage is estimated to cost between $4 and $6 billion, just $239 million is currently included in the 10-year plan.

Stage 4 of Water Tunnel No. 3 will be 14 miles long and run from the valve chamber in the Bronx under the East River into Queens. It will provide more robust distribution in Queens and provide full coverage during the eventual shutdown and repair of Tunnel No. 2

A GREENER, GREATER NEW YORK **PLANYC**