FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE04-05
Reservoir System To Resume Operations
to press release 04-04)
After a short delay, starting this week, the New York City Department
of Environmental Protection (DEP) will resume distribution of water from
the Croton water supply system, the City’s oldest, to consumers
in Manhattan and the Bronx.
The Croton System consists of 12 reservoirs and provides approximately
10% of the City’s daily drinking water requirements. It was taken
out of service in September 2003 when very wet spring and summer weather
increased storage in the City’s upstate Catskill and Delaware watersheds
to unusually high levels. The Croton system has historically been removed
from service for short periods of time in late summer and early fall.
DEP is returning the Croton system at this time because of scheduled
inspection and maintenance work being done on upstate aqueducts.
Water consumers may experience discolored water in their homes and businesses
resulting from naturally occurring matter present in the water and changes
in the water distribution system. This condition is only an aesthetic
consequence and does not pose any health-related risks.
The City has been ordered by the United States Environmental Protection
Agency to build a filtration plant for Croton system water. When that
facility is built, it will virtually eliminate the seasonal discoloration
we are experiencing.