June 5, 2012

CONTACT:

Chris Gilbride / Angel Román (718) 595-6600

DEP Announces Start of $1 Million Delaware County Roadway Reconstruction Project

Over Next 10 years DEP Will Invest $10 Million in Watershed Roadway Improvements;

Upgrades Will Improve Driving Conditions and Enhance Safety

New York City Environmental Protection (DEP) Deputy Commissioner for Water Supply Paul Rush today announced that DEP has started work on a $1 million roadway reconstruction project in Delaware County, made possible by an intergovernmental agreement between the county and the City of New York. The reconstruction work, along a 2.1-mile stretch of NYC Highway 30A between Delaware County Highway 1 and Firment Road in the Town of Andes, will be performed by the Delaware County Department of Public Works. The project will improve driving conditions and enhance safety, and entails: replacing the roadway and guardrails; grading the shoulders and side slopes; improving roadway markings to enhance visibility; cleaning roadside drainage ditches; and landscaping enhancements. Over the next 10 years, DEP will invest $10 million in roadway improvement projects throughout the watershed.

"Productive collaboration between DEP and our watershed partners is a critical component of maintaining the reliability of water supply operations, and this $1 million upgrade reflects the combined diligence of Delaware County and the City of New York," said Deputy Commissioner Rush. "I want to thank Delaware County Executive James Eisel for his partnership in overseeing this project, which serves as yet another example of how we can work together to produce win-win solutions."

"This joint venture with DEP will help us better manage our escalating costs and most importantly result in safer, smoother roads around the Pepacton and Cannonsville Reservoirs," said Delaware County Chairman James Eisel.

DEP maintains and operates 95 miles of roadways in the Catskill and Delaware Watersheds, including 40 miles of public roads near the Pepacton and Cannonsville reservoirs in Delaware County.  Earlier this year, DEP improved safety along Route 28A in Ulster County by installing turning lanes on Route 28A and Route 213 and removing trees that obscured driver visibility.

DEP manages the city's water supply, providing more than one billion gallons of water each day to more than nine million residents, including eight million in New York City, and residents of Ulster, Orange, Putnam and Westchester counties.  This water comes from the Catskill, Delaware, and Croton watersheds that extend more than 125 miles from the City, and the system comprises 19 reservoirs, three controlled lakes, and numerous tunnels and aqueducts. DEP employs nearly 6,000 employees, including almost 1,000 scientists, engineers, surveyors, watershed maintainers and others professionals in the upstate watershed  In addition to its $49 million payroll and $132 million in annual taxes paid in upstate counties, DEP has invested more than $1.5 billion in watershed protection programs — including partnership organizations such as the Catskill Watershed Corporation and the Watershed Agricultural Council — that support sustainable farming practices, environmentally sensitive economic development, and local economic opportunity. In addition, DEP has a robust capital program with a planned $13.2 billion in investments over the next 10 years that creates up to 3,000 construction-related jobs per year. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nycwater, or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/nycwater.