NYC Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP)

There's no magic wand to expand the sewer capacity in a city as large as ours. With a reclassification as a sub-tropical climate zone, stormwater is a hot topic in NYC. Listen to Commissioner Aggarwala speak about the challenges & solutions ahead: https://lnkd.in/eW5Pq9cR

Out of the Archives: The Catskill Aqueduct curves with the landscape along its 92-mile journey. Shown here under construction on August 22, 1911, it‘s not only still in operation, but remains capable of conveying more than 600 million gallons of water per day from the Catskills to the City. For more NYCDEP history, click: http://bit.ly/2tKkvDE. #NYCWater #TBT #Aqueduct #WaterQuality #Catskills

Do you love spending time in the NYC watershed? Then, consider a career helping ensure this vital resource is well protected. The Environmental Police Officers Exam application closes August 30th. So sign up today: https://on.nyc.gov/3yqFOkB #NYCWater #LawEnforcement #Police

From the Desk of the Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala, Last month, DEP broke ground on the $1.9 billion Kensico to Eastview tunneling and facilities upgrade project in the Westchester County town of Mt. Pleasant that will improve the operational flexibility of the drinking water supply for more than 9 million people in the City and throughout southern Westchester County. The project will be New York City’s largest water-supply tunneling effort in Westchester County since the 1940s, and its construction will create hundreds of jobs for local laborers. The centerpiece of the project— known as the Kensico-Eastview Connection (KEC)—will be a 2-mile-long tunnel between Kensico Reservoir and the Catskill-Delaware Ultraviolet Light Disinfection Facility (CDUV) in Eastview. The new tunnel will provide an additional conveyance between these vital components of the water supply system, giving DEP the ability to take other facilities out of service for periodic maintenance and inspection. The first phase of construction includes site preparation at the DEP campus adjacent to Kensico Reservoir, followed by the digging of two large shafts, 400-500 feet deep, the tunneling between the two shafts, and the addition of several new facilities and upgrades at the Kensico campus. All phases of the project are expected to span a ten-year period with the new tunnel coming fully online by 2035. Kensico Reservoir is located north of White Plains and is a vital component of New York City’s Catskill-Delaware Water Supply System. The reservoir stores approximately 30 billion gallons of water at full capacity. DEP draws about 1 billion gallons of drinking water from Kensico Reservoir each day to meet the demand of 8.6 million residents in the five boroughs of New York City and approximately 500,000 residents of Westchester County whose communities are connected to the City’s system. As it moves towards the City, drinking water that leaves Kensico Reservoir is also treated at CDUV. Creating additional redundancy in our vital water supply system is an essential investment for the long-term resilience of this remarkable feat of engineering. This project will help us fulfill our commitment to providing consistent and reliable delivery of the highest-quality water to New York City and the growing population centers in Westchester County. #NYCWater #WaterQuality #Engineering #Construction #WaterTunnel #WaterSupply #WestchesterCounty #Reservoir

Out of the Archives: After devastating infernos in the early twentieth century, NYC’s High Pressure Fire Service revolutionized firefighting. To build it efficiently, the contractor stored an extraordinary amount of materials at this pipe yard on the Hudson River at 21st Street (now Chelsea Piers). When fire swept through Coney Island in November 1903, firefighters were hindered by the lack of water at hydrants. The blaze wiped out fourteen blocks. Although water was available, according to the Department of Water Supply, Gas and Electricity (DWSGE) the problem was the inability of the distribution system to deliver it at a sustained and concentrated pressure. Only three months later, fire destroyed Baltimore’s waterfront and business district, raising the discussion of big city fire protection to a national level. In direct response to these events, the DWSGE swiftly developed a plan to protect the city’s manufacturing, storehouse, and office building districts. The solution was a High Pressure Fire Service system with pumping stations, water distribution pipes, and hydrants dedicated exclusively for firefighting. New York City Fire Department helped identify areas to protect, which included Coney Island and Brooklyn’s East River waterfront and downtown business district, and Manhattan from Chambers to 23rd Street. Stations were designed to use water from the municipal systems or drawn from nearby rivers, and connections along the waterfront allowed fire boats to use their diesel pumps to pressurize the system if the pump stations failed. A gridiron network of cast iron pipes distributed the water to special high pressure fire hydrants with connections for four hoses. In 1953, with the full force of the Catskill and Delaware water supplies flowing throughout the City, the Brooklyn and Manhattan pump stations were decommissioned and some of the pipes were integrated into the municipal distribution system. For more NYCDEP history, click: http://bit.ly/2tKkvDE. #NYCWater #WaterQuality #tbt #WaterSupply #HudsonRiver #ConeyIsland #FireFighters

Five years ago this week! DEP completed excavation of the Delaware Aqueduct Bypass Tunnel when a massive tunneling machine pushed through the last few feet of shale bedrock nearly 700 feet under Dutchess County. The 2.5-mile-long tunnel was built 600 feet under the Hudson River, from Newburgh to Wappinger, in approximately 18 months. This $1 billion tunnel is the heart of a bigger program to fix two leaks in the Delaware Aqueduct, which is the longest tunnel in the world. Some facts from the work thus far: ✅ The massive tunnel boring machine broke through on Aug. 13, 2019 at 6:51 a.m. ✅ The tunnel boring machine, named "Nora," is 21.6 feet in diameter, 470 feet long, and weighs 2.7 million pounds. ✅ The tunneling machine mined 12,448 feet in 582 days. ✅The tunnel was built by local laborers from the Hudson Valley. ✅ It's the first tunnel built under the Hudson River since the south tube of the Lincoln Tunnel was completed in the 1950s. It's the first tunnel built under the Hudson River since the south tube of the Lincoln Tunnel was completed in the 1950s. More information on this milestone can be found here: https://on.nyc.gov/3AqaO5z #NYCWater #MunicipalWater #Water #WaterQuality #CleanWater

Green Roofs Continue to Grow In 2013, The New School constructed an 11,205 SF extensive green roof system at the school’s University Center in Manhattan. The green roof was funded through DEP’s Green Infrastructure Grant Program which funds the design and construction of green roof retrofits citywide. The New School green roof spans the 7th and 8th floors of the 16 floor building, providing an aesthetically pleasing view for students and faculty. In addition to looking pretty, the green roof helps decrease the urban heat island effect and is estimated to manage nearly a quarter million gallons of stormwater annually and help improve the health of New York Harbor. #NYCWater #WaterQuality #GreenInfrastructure #GreenRoofs #GrantFunding #Stormwater

Progress at Gowanus Canal DEP has reached a significant milestone on the construction of the underground storage tank at the head-end of the Gowanus Canal that will capture eight million gallons of sewage and rainwater that would otherwise overflow into the Canal during rainstorms. In late July, DEP’s construction crews completed the deep underground perimeter wall that will support the removal of soil necessary to build the tanks. This important project complements US EPA’s on-going Superfund dredging project and will significantly improve the health of the neighborhood. The work being done will also create new public waterfront open space and amenities for the Gowanus community. The next two months will be a period of transition, as crews take apart the large construction equipment and remove it from the site and build a groundwater treatment system for use in the next phase of work, excavation of the soil within the perimeter wall, beginning in October. Kudos to the entire BEDC team, including Kevin Clarke, Marlon King and Kenneth Moriarty. #NYCWater #WaterQuality #Gowanus #Superfund #Canal #Brooklyn #Construction #Engineering

DEP In the News Last Tuesday, NBC-4 TV cameras were rolling as DEP partnered with elected officials, community boards, and local organizations to hold a flood kit distribution event and information session in Jamaica, Queens. Senior staff from DEP, including Jerry Fragias, PE and Wendy Sperduto BWSO, Angela Licata from BEPA, and Beth DeFalco from BPAC, were on hand talk to about what NYC is doing to fortify neighborhoods in the face of climate change and to answer questions from the community. In total, DEP provided 150 free flood kits containing flood barriers, sump pumps, and flood sensors to residents. Attendees were also able to give feedback on their experience with flooding to help garner solutions for their communities through a survey provided by DEP staff. DEP will be hosting more events throughout the five boroughs, including Throgs Neck, Rockaways, Staten Island, and East Harlem. #NYCWater #Stormwater #Flooding #FloodBarriers #ClimateChange

Visit the DEP Police booth at the Schoharie County Sunshine Fair! Interested in a career with the DEP Police? Or maybe you just have a question? Stop by our booth to learn more and explore career opportunities with our officers. We'll be there through Sunday. See you at the fair! #NYCWater #LawEnforcement #Police #Schoharie