NYC DEP Announces $3M In Wastewater Planning Grants For Communities Near Two Reservoirs In Putnam, Westchester

Grants focus on communities near Croton Falls and Cross River reservoirs, which can operate as part of the city’s unfiltered drinking water supply

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today announced the availability of up to $3M in wastewater planning grants to eight communities in Putnam and Westchester counties that are situated alongside parts of the city’s unfiltered water supply. The grants—administered by the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC)—will allow these communities to examine their existing wastewater infrastructure and plan for the design and cost of improvements that will protect water quality at Croton Falls and Cross River reservoirs.

“The remarkably high quality of water in our reservoir system depends on the adequate collection and treatment of wastewater from communities in our watershed,” DEP Commissioner Vincent Sapienza said. “DEP has a long history of collaborating with our watershed neighbors to study and explore wastewater solutions that protect water quality and public health. We look forward to continuing that collaboration with these communities near Croton Falls and Cross River.”

“NEIWPCC works on wastewater and water quality issues across the Northeast,” NEIWPCC Executive Director Susan Sullivan said. “We are pleased to help DEP and the watershed communities to address both.”

“Ensuring the drinking water purity of the New York City reservoirs and local wells in the East-of-Hudson watershed is an expensive proposition for municipalities and taxpayers,” New York State Senator Pete Harckham said. “These grants will ease the burden on municipalities and foster development solutions that will ensure the high-quality drinking water upon which millions of New York residents depend.”

“The availability of grants to assist communities in Lewisboro and Pound Ridge with engineering studies helps support public health and the environmental quality of these vital water resources, while also protecting the New York City watershed that millions of people, including many Westchester residents, rely on,” New York State Assemblyman David Buchwald said. “I welcome this financial support to help these communities with their ongoing efforts to protect waterways such as Like Kitchawan, Lake Truesdale and Lake Waccabuc.”

“Clean water is a necessity for New Yorkers who expect to live long, healthy, and prosperous lives,” New York State Assemblyman Kevin Byrne said. “However, maintaining a clean water supply can come with a cost. These funds are essential in helping communities protect our drinking water. I encourage all who are eligible to apply.”

“Westchester County is fortunate to have some of the best drinking water in the nation,” Westchester County Executive George Latimer said. “As we see in news reports each day, clean drinking water infrastructure is essential to a functioning society. Our environment and the quality of water in the reservoir system are underpinned by a thorough examination of our current wastewater infrastructure, and a solid plan for the future. This grant money will help to ensure our drinking water remains the high quality that it is.”

“This is a great opportunity for our lake communities around the Croton Falls Reservoir to look at their current wastewater systems and plan improvements,” Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell said. “We want to ensure clean water for years to come, and I commend the New York City Department of Environmental Protection being forward-thinking with this funding offer.”

The East-of-Hudson Community Wastewater Planning Assistance Grant Program will provide planning grants to specific communities where aging septic systems could affect water quality in reservoirs that are part of New York City’s unfiltered water system. The program was required by New York City’s 2017 Filtration Avoidance Determination (FAD), the state-issued waiver that allows the city to operate the largest unfiltered water supply in the United States. The FAD outlines a number of watershed protection programs and water-quality monitoring efforts that the city must complete to maintain its unfiltered system. The vast majority of New York City’s unfiltered water comes from six large reservoirs in the Catskills, passing through Kensico Reservoir on its way to the city. However, Croton Falls and Cross River reservoirs can also be operated as part of the city’s unfiltered supply, and they are subject to some FAD-required programs. These two reservoirs include pumping stations that can push water into the unfiltered Delaware Aqueduct during droughts or planned infrastructure outages.

Eight communities in the towns of Carmel and Kent in Putnam County, and Lewisboro and Pound Ridge in Westchester County, will be eligible for the wastewater planning funds. The program will provide up to a total of $3M to these municipalities for engineering studies that will examine existing environmental conditions in these communities, wastewater treatment practices that could be applied, areas to be served, water quality benefits and implementation costs. The finished reports would allow these communities to apply for state or federal funding sources that support clean-water initiatives.

The qualifying areas around Croton Falls Reservoir includes communities on Lake View Road, Lake Casse, Lake Gilead, Mud Pond Brook, and Palmer Lake in Carmel and Kent. The eligible communities near Cross River Reservoir include Lake Waccabuc, Lake Truesdale and Lake Kitchawan in Lewisboro and Pound Ridge.

Interested municipalities must submit an application no later than May 1, with studies to be completed in 2021. The program and funding will be administered by the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission, a regional commission that helps states in the northeast preserve and advance water quality.

About DEP
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 $70M payroll and $168.9M in annual taxes paid in upstate counties, DEP has invested more than $1.7B 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 $20.1B 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.