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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 13-55

May 10, 2013

CONTACT:

Chris Gilbride/Ted Timbers (718) 595-6600

New York City Water Board Adopts Fiscal Year 2014 Water and Sewer Rates

The New York City Water Board today voted to approve the Fiscal Year 2014 Water and Sewer rates as proposed by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on April 5, 2013. After five weeks of public comment, and public hearings held in all five boroughs, the Water Board today approved a 5.6 percent rate increase that will become effective on July 1, 2013.

“We’ve become more efficient, reducing our expenses without sacrificing the quality of the essential services we provide to New Yorkers, and our work has resulted in the lowest rate increase in nearly a decade,” said Commissioner Strickland. “Any increase can be hard for our customers, and we will continue to look for ways to further tighten our belts and work with our regulators to reduce the burden of unfunded mandates so that New Yorkers get the best possible water and wastewater services at the most affordable rates.”

DEP is responsible for proposing a water rate that meets the financial obligations necessary to provide water and wastewater services to 8.3 million New York City residents, and the Water Board is responsible for establishing the rate following the proposal and subsequent public hearings.

DEP manages New York City’s water supply, providing more than one billion gallons of water each day to more than nine million residents, including over eight million in New York City. The water is delivered from a watershed that extends more than 125 miles from the city, comprising 19 reservoirs and three controlled lakes. Approximately 7,000 miles of water mains, tunnels and aqueducts bring water to homes and businesses throughout the five boroughs, and 7,500 miles of sewer lines and 96 pump stations take wastewater to 14 in-city treatment plants. DEP has nearly 6,000 employees, including almost 1,000 in the upstate watershed. In addition, DEP has a robust capital program, with a planned $14 billion in investments over the next 10 years that will create up to 3,000 construction-related jobs per year. This capital program is responsible for critical projects like City Water Tunnel No. 3; the Staten Island Bluebelt program, an ecologically sound and cost-effective stormwater management system; and the Watershed Protection Program, which protects sensitive lands upstate near the city’s reservoirs in order to maintain their high water quality. For more information, visit nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook at facebook.com/nycwater, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/nycwater.

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