NYCDEP: Delaware Aqueduct closure postponed a year

NARROWSBURG — The shutdown of the Delaware Aqueduct beneath the Hudson River, which has stirred concerns on the Upper Delaware over the event of flooding from a major storm with water in the reservoirs having nowhere else to go but downstream, has been delayed a year.

New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) Chief of Staff Jennifer Garigliano reported the postponement on June 9 in an email to the Upper Delaware Council (UDC).

The shutdown was to have occurred on or near October 1 of 2022, closing the massive, 85-mile aqueduct potentially into the spring of 2023. The long-anticipated closure is part of the project to repair major leaks in the pipeline which carries water for greater New York City from the Cannonsville, Pepecton and Neversink Reservoirs.

These impoundments, the first two respectively on the West Branch and East Branch of the Delaware River, are a major part of the city's water supply system.

"For several reasons NYCDEP is not in a position to shut down the Delaware Aqueduct this fall," Garigliano said. "The schedule is now planned for October 1, 2023 through May 31, 2024. This new timeline will ensure that NYCDEP completes and tests new system configurations and that outside communities are also prepared for the shutdown. There will be more to come on communications and work that we are doing as part of this shift."

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For the past nine years, the city has been working on a $1 billion tunnel far underneath the Hudson at Newburgh to divert the water so that the bypass tunnel can be connected to the aqueduct on either side of the Hudson River. Once the bypass is in service, repair of the aqueduct's leaks can continue. The aqueduct loses about 35 million gallons a day in leaks, NYCDEP reports.

The NYCDEP needs to be sure that its system can reliably provide enough water from other locations. During the shutdown the city intends to rely much more on the reservoirs the city has in Westchester County, and the Catskill Aqueduct.

Depending on rainfall, NYCDEP plans to draw down these reservoirs by 30% or more in advance of the shutdown, with "maximum releases" occurring before the shutdown.

Jeff Skelding, Executive Director of Friends of the Upper Delaware River (FUDR) said that their organization has been working on the potential impact from the closure "below the dams" to protect interests of residents and communities in the Delaware River valley, while NYCDEP has focused on repairing their water system "above the dams." He said these two areas of focus always create "a bit of conversation" between the NYCDEP and conservation groups on the Upper Delaware.

The latter includes such groups as the UDC, Trout Unlimited and FUDR as well as local municipalities, he pointed out. FUDR, he stated, looks at two main issues, preparing for sufficient protection from flooding in the event the reservoirs spill while the aqueduct is sealed, and promoting public outreach on this topic.

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"We think it is a good idea to fix the pipes," Skelding said, "but we must ensure there are no negative impacts downstream." He noted that this is an "unprecedented project of enormous magnitude," which he said many people still do not know about it.

The year postponement, Skelding said, is unfortunate in one way because the system needs to fixed "sooner than later" but on the other hand this gives some more time for the NYCDEP to be made aware of the concerns of the conservation community on the Upper Delaware.

Stressing he is not predicting a catastrophic flood, Skelding noted that the data shows an increased amount of rain in this region in the last 10 years. "With the lack of diversions, that could mean more spilling over the dams," he added.

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Delaware Aqueduct closure postponed a year, New York City DEP says