| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 19-015 DEP Begins Project to Repair and Upgrade Catskill Aqueduct Culvert in Millwood$1 million project in Westchester County will ensure proper flow of stormwater under aqueductThe New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced that it will begin work this month on a $1 million project to repair a culvert that carries stormwater under the Catskill Aqueduct in Millwood. The project, located in the vicinity of Shingle House Road and Hidden Hollow Lane, will be completed by the end of fall. The existing culvert at this site has been damaged in recent years because of increased stormwater runoff. Stormwater eroded areas around the outlet of the culvert and dislodged the stones along the outlet channel. DEP will repair the culvert by extending its base and stormwater outlet, and reconstructing the stone-lined channel. That channel will lead to a new paved gutter, which will ultimately take the water to a catch basin that is also being replaced as part of the project. DEP manages New York City’s water supply, providing more than 1 billion gallons of high-quality water each day to more than 9.6 million New Yorkers. This includes more than 70 upstate communities and institutions in Ulster, Orange, Putnam and Westchester counties who consume an average of 110 million total gallons of drinking water daily from New York City’s water supply system. 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 has nearly 6,000 employees, including almost 1,000 scientists, engineers, surveyors, watershed maintainers and other professionals in the watershed. In addition to its $70 million payroll and $168.9 million in annual taxes paid in upstate counties, DEP has invested more than $1.7 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 $19.7 billion in investments planned over the next decade that will create up to 3,000 construction-related jobs per year. For more information, visit nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter. | |