Printer-friendlyEnvironment DEC
From the September 2007 issue
Ten-Year Extension Approved for Protection of Catskill/Delaware Watershed
The watershed, shown here in an aerial view, is the largest unfiltered drinking water supply in the nation
New York State's Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Pete Grannis and Department of Health Commissioner Richard F. Daines, M.D., have hailed the ten-year extension agreed to by federal, state and New York City officials to protect the Catskill/Delaware Watershed. Known as the Filtration Avoidance Determination, the agreement continues and expands a number of core programs critical to water quality protection. They include community and wastewater management, septic repair and replacement, land acquisition, forest easements and riparian and buffer programs. These protections are needed to ensure that water quality will not degrade and that a filtration plant will not be necessary.
Commissioner Grannis said, "The extension demonstrates tremendous fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers. By protecting the watershed at its source, we avoid spending an estimated $8 billion to $10 billion to build a filtration plant and $400 million in annual maintenance and operation costs." Commissioner Grannis also said that the agreement expands programs for land acquisition, forest easements and buffers. Agriculture and stream programs will be continued, as will upgrades to wastewater treatment plants.
NYC Watershed
The New York City watershed is the largest unfiltered drinking water supply in the nation. Although it comprises only five percent of the land area of New York State, it supplies drinking water to half its population. It is critically important that the watershed continue to be protected for future generations.
Effective Management
New York State is an active participant in the management of water quality and land resources within the watershed. The state owns 210,000 acres in the portion of the watershed west of the Hudson, and for many decades, a majority of this forested land has been managed for recreational use. Residents and visitors to the Catskill Park hunt, fish, trap, camp, hike, ski, canoe, bike and snow-shoe here without harming New York City's drinking water supply.
