New York City has been protected from the water crises gripping other cities because of a massive watershed and a stunning network of reservoirs, tunnels, plants and pipes. But even that system faces challenges as infrastructure ages and pressure grows to address longstanding environmental issues.
Watershed towns must deal with the balance between protecting the city’s water and their own need for economic activity. A project to repair a massive leak in the world’s longest tunnel will require new conservation efforts by city residents. The still-controversial Croton filtration plant is one of several projects that have impacted rising user costs, sparking calls for a new way of paying for water. And the city is facing tough choices as it makes long-term plans for cleaning up waterways polluted by sewer discharges.
This joint City Limits-WNYC reporting project digs into the tensions, choices and costs behind the water in our lives.
Research suggests that pollutants from untreated sewage reduce the capacity of local wetlands to absorb carbon and mitigate the impact of greenhouse gases.
DEP’s plan will cover the Hudson, Harlem and East Rivers, Upper and Lower New York Bay, Arthur Kill and Kill van Kull, and western Long Island Sound.
City Limits uses investigative journalism through the prism of New York City to identify urban problems, examine their causes, explore solutions, and equip communities to take action.
Founded in 1976 in the midst of New York’s fiscal crisis, City Limits exists to inform democracy and equip citizens to create a more just city. The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded by foundation support, ad sponsorship and donations from readers.
Support local, investigative journalism that has informed and empowered New Yorkers for 45 years.
Support local, investigative journalism that has informed and empowered New Yorkers for 45 years.
