Storm Water Collection System in NYC in the Works
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection announced that during the first week of August, construction of a storm water collection system near the Cross River Reservoir would commence.
The storm water collection system intends to enhance reservoir protections by capturing runoff, sediment and nutrients from a 9.3 acre drainage area in the town of Bedford, according to the NYCDEP. This will cost nearly $1.1 million and is expected to occupy 1 acre of city-owned property east of the Cross River Dam.
The storm water collection system will collect runoff from an area along a gravel road that runs downhill towards the reservoir. The DEP will improve and reinforce several hundred feet of roadside ditches by lining the ditches with stone to prevent erosion, according to the news release.
According to DEP estimates, the new storm water system will capture more than 6 pounds of phosphorus each year.
“Storm water infrastructure is crucial for maintaining the high quality of water in our reservoir system,” said DEP Commissioner Vincent Sapienza. “These sensible investments in watershed protection keep New York City’s drinking water tasting great, while also helping to save money on more costly forms of treatment or filtration.”
Construction is expected to last 4 months.
Cross River Reservoir stores 10.3 billion gallons of drinking water at full capacity. Providing service since 1908, Cross River is among the final two water bodies added to the Croton Water Supply System, which provides about 10% of New York City’s drinking water on a typical day.
The storm water project was a requirement of New York City’s Filtration Avoidance Determination (FAD), a state permit that allows the City to operate its Catskill-Delaware Water Supply System without filtration. Although the Cross River Reservoir operates at part of the City’s Croton Water Supply System, which is filtered, a pumping station at the reservoir can move water into the unfiltered Delaware Aqueduct to support the city during times of drought or planned infrastructure outages, added the NYCDEP.
