NYC to Acquire 1,655 Acres of Land for Watershed Protection
New York Department of Environmental Protection Deputy Commissioner of Water Supply Paul Rush announced the purchase of approximately 1,655 acres of upstate land and conservation easements for more than $4.4 million. This group of acquisitions is the latest in New York City's ongoing efforts to protect the upstate watershed and maintain the outstanding quality of the city's drinking water.
A total of 19 easements and parcels of land were acquired, ranging in size from 5.3 to 288 acres. The properties are located in Delaware, Greene, Schoharie and Ulster counties. Between 1997 and 2011, nearly 1,400 landowners have signed purchase contracts to sell 120,000 acres of land or easements at fair market value in the Catskill/Delaware and Croton watershed systems.
Prior to the start of the land acquisition program in 1997, the city already owned another 44,600 acres surrounding its reservoirs. New York also owns and protects more than 200,000 acres of watershed lands. Most of the properties acquired outright will be opened for public access, including hunting, hiking and fishing, as well as economic activities like hay cropping that help local community businesses.
The city protects land by purchasing conservation easements, including easements on farms through initiatives like the Watershed Agricultural Council, a non-profit organization that works with farmers to implement farming practices that are compatible with the city's watershed protection goals. The Land Acquisition Program in the city's watershed helps provide safe drinking water to more than 9 million New Yorkers.
Watershed protection is widely considered the best way of maintaining the quality of drinking water in the long term. New York City's program, one of the most comprehensive in the world, has been so successful at protecting the integrity of New York City's water supply that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded the city a 10-year Filtration Avoidance Determination in 2007.
Source: New York Department of Environmental Protection