Environment DEC
From the September 2004 issue
Governor Announces Funding for New York City Watershed
Governor George E. Pataki announced more than $1.25 million in federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) funding for nine projects to enhance water quality and monitoring in the New York City watershed, particularly in the Cannonsville Reservoir basin and the New Croton Reservoir basin. State researchers, local governments, academia and nonprofit organizations will undertake research, monitoring, education, and implementation of management practices in the watershed.
The Croton Reservoir
supplies much of
NY City's drinking water
"The New York City watershed is an extraordinary and complex network of reservoirs, lakes, rivers and streams providing safe drinking water for more than nine million New Yorkers," Governor Pataki said. "It is one of the largest unfiltered surface drinking water systems in the world, and we are working diligently to safeguard this critical resource for future generations. These projects will build on our ongoing watershed protection efforts that are helping to improve water quality while enhancing and preserving the economy and rural character of local communities."
Phosphorus, Projections and Practices
Several of the projects in Delaware County will provide valuable information for future stormwater control programs that will reduce discharges of phosphorus and stormwater runoff from farms and hamlets into the Cannonsville Reservoir. Phosphorus reduction in the Cannonsville Reservoir is one of the highest priorities of the New York City Watershed Protection Program.
In addition, researchers at the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, will use the funding to forecast future water quality based on projected land use changes in the Catskill-Delaware watershed using historical data and modeling projections.
Funding also is being provided for a project within the New Croton Reservoir watershed that will monitor the use of best management practices in land development located on a tributary to Hunter Brook. A teacher training and curriculum education program also will be continued and expanded for school children engaged in stream monitoring in the watershed.
NYC Watershed
The New York City watershed covers nearly 2,000 square miles in the counties of Delaware, Greene, Schoharie, Ulster, Sullivan, Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess and provides about 1.4 billion gallons of drinking water per day. The Delaware system is located primarily in Delaware, Ulster, and Sullivan counties and provides approximately 50 percent of the city's daily demand for water. It was constructed in the 1950s and 1960s and is comprised of four reservoirs, including the Cannonsville Reservoir.
The Croton watershed is located east of the Hudson River and is comprised of 12 reservoirs and 3 controlled lakes, including the New Croton Reservoir in Westchester County. Approximately 10 percent of the city's average daily water demand is supplied by the Croton system.
The Catskill system was constructed in the early part of the 20th century and is located west of the Hudson River in Ulster, Schoharie, Delaware, and Greene Counties. It is composed of two reservoirs-Schoharie and Ashokan-and on average, supplies 40 percent of the city's daily water supply.
In 1995, Governor Pataki brought together upstate communities, New York City, the federal Environmental Protection Agency, and members of the environmental community to develop an historic partnership to protect the New York City watershed and avoid the need to filter the Catskill-Delaware system. The landmark New York City Watershed Agreement was signed in January of 1997.
Project Details
The nine projects and what they encompass are as follows:
Alternate feeding practices
will reduce phosphorous loading
Westchester County
$182,000
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will continue monitoring the effectiveness of best management practices on phosphorus loading in the stormwater quality in the Monhasic Park area control catchment located on a tributary in the New Croton Reservoir watershed.
Delaware County
$201,902
Delaware County will prepare a dairy cattle feed management plan for farms in the Cannonsville Reservoir Basin, replacing purchased feed with homegrown forage nutrients to reduce phosphorus imports on the farm and accumulations in the soil, thus reducing phosphorus loading into the Cannonsville Reservoir.
$55,000
The Delaware County Planning Department and DEC will monitor groundwater and stormwater controls on phosphorus loadings in the Cannonsville Reservoir.
$50,000
Delaware County and DEC will continue to monitor phosphorus loading from a lowland dairy farm in the Cannonsville Reservoir basin to assess precision feeding practices.
$11,500
The Delaware County Planning Department will use Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) equipment to map stormwater conveyance lines in the Village of Walton in the Cannonsville Reservoir Basin.
$44,550
The Delaware County Planning Department will use GPS and GIS to map stormwater outfall locations within municipalities throughout the Cannonsville Reservoir Basin.
$310,000
The New York State Department of Health will continue its study of the New York City Watershed for the presence of selected pharmaceuticals.
Greene, Schoharie, Sullivan, Ulster, Westchester and Delaware counties
$222,653
The State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and the Yale School of Forestry will correlate the historic development of the Catskill-Delaware watersheds landscape with significant changes in contaminants of concern to drinking water quality. This information will provide insight into land use relationships and their associated changes in water quality.
Dutchess, Greene, Putnam, Schoharie, Sullivan, Ulster, Westchester, and Delaware counties
$172,568
Hudson Riverkeeper, Inc. will expand its "Leaf Pack" teacher training and school children programs using hands-on lessons to promote understanding of local stream health and the relationship to local land use practices.
