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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 13-09

January 23, 2013

CONTACT:

Adam Bosch (845) 334-7868 / Chris Gilbride (718) 595-6600

Department of Environmental Protection To Repair Lowes Corners Bridge in Grahamsville

Bridge Abutment was Damaged in 2011 During Hurricane Irene

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today announced that repair work on Lowes Corner Bridge in Grahamsville, which was damaged in 2011 during Hurricane Irene, will begin the first week of February. The bridge carries Route 55A over a portion of the Rondout Reservoir. To facilitate repairs, DEP will begin to lower levels in the Rondout Reservoir this week.

DEP will repair an abutment that was damaged when the Rondout Creek partially eroded embankments around the bridge during the storm. While the bridge is currently safe, repair work will include adding new stone and concrete to strengthen the abutment until the entire bridge can be replaced. Replacement of the bridge is tentatively scheduled for 2015.

The repairs will require DEP to lower the Rondout Reservoir by approximately 10 feet to expose the abutment, which is generally submerged. To lower the reservoir, DEP will reduce diversions from upstream reservoirs into the Rondout Reservoir while continuing to divert water from Rondout Reservoir to the City. Repair work is expected to begin the first week of February and continue for roughly a month. During that time, motorists can expect periodic lane closures on Route 55A.

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 approximately 750 scientists, engineers, surveyors, watershed maintainers and other professionals in the upstate watershed In addition to its $68 million payroll and $153 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.

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