New York City's Approach to Watershed Management

New York City's primary source of potable water for its 9 million customers is the 4,095 km sq. (1,581 sq. mi) Catskill/Delaware watershed located about 161 km from the City. The 1986 Safe Drinking Water Act amendments required filtration of all surface water drinking water supplies, unless one could prove that watershed management could keep the water clean. In light of an estimated $5 billion to build a filtration plant for the 5.7 billion L it supplies daily, New York City opted for a watershed approach. A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), signed on January 21, 1997 is the blueprint for managing the watershed for water quality. The MOA has three main strategies: 1) purchase property from willing sellers, 2) implement watershed rules and regulations, and 3) establish watershed protection and partnership programs. The City has agreed to spend $1.5 billion to carry out the MOA and New York State has pledged $700 million. USEPA issued a Filter Avoidance Determination (FOA) based on the MOA and milestones New York City must meet. Agriculture has a separate agreement.