February 13, 2003

Contact: Charles Sturcken (718) 595-6600

DEP Circulates Notice To Manhattan And Bronx Consumers About Croton Water Supply And Plans For Filtering The System

Commissioner Christopher O. Ward announced today that Manhattan and Bronx residents who are consumers of Croton water are being mailed a notice entitled “IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR CUSTOMERS OF THE NEW YORK CITY CROTON WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM.”

“This brochure contains valuable information about the Croton water supply and filtration,” said Commissioner Ward, “and I encourage everyone who receives the mailing to take the time to read it. The City has not yet filtered the Croton water supply system, which it is mandated to do under federal law and State regulations,” continued Commissioner Ward, “and because of the delay in filtering the supply, DEP has been required since 1993 to send a quarterly notice to consumers of Croton water to explain the need for filtration and outlining the City’s schedule for doing so.”

The Croton water supply system currently meets all State and federal health-related standards, although it can experience seasonal water quality problems, which are usually not present in the City’s two other systems, the Catskill and Delaware. To ensure the purity of the Croton supply for future generations of New Yorkers and compliance with any stricter water quality standards that may be enforced in the future, the City has been ordered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency to construct a filtration facility for the Croton system.

When the facility is built, it will virtually eliminate any discoloration observed in Croton water from time to time. The city is currently evaluating three locations as potential sites for the filtration facility. The City must submit its preferred site to the U.S. District Court by April of 2003.

In preparing the brochure, DEP summarized details about the need to protect the City’s water supply, the Croton system, the need for filtration, and the law that requires filtration. Consumers who have further questions about filtration or the New York City water supply should visit the DEP web site at nyc.gov/dep or contact the DEP Public Affairs Bureau at (718) 595-6600.