Evolving Watershed Management Carter H. Strickland, Jr - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Evolving Watershed Management

Carter H. Strickland, Jr

Commissioner, New York City Department of Environmental Protection

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1677 to 1835

• 1677: First public well was dug

near an old fort at Bowling Green

• 1776: Population reaches 22,000

and a reservoir was constructed in downtown Manhattan

• 1800: Manhattan Company sinks

a well and pumps water into reservoir

• Population continues to grow;

well water starts to become polluted and supply becomes insufficient

• 1835: City decides to impound

water from the Croton River in Westchester County

Brief History of NYC’s Water Supply System

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1835 to 1911

• 1837: Construction underway on

the Old Croton Reservoir, 42nd Street Reservoir, and connecting tunnels

• 1842: Croton water first reaches

NYC

• 1869: Water demand rises to 77

MGD

• 1870: City acquires three

controlled lakes in Putnam County

• 1891: Construction begins on

New Croton Dam to meet 183 MGD demand

• 1909: Construction begins on

two balancing reservoirs, Kensico and Hillview

East of Hudson (1835-1911)

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West of Hudson (1907-1965)

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Grubbing Machine – Ashokan Reservoir

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Grubbed & Cleared Trees - Ashokan Reservoir

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Unsanitary Conditions – Esopus Watershed

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Poorly Buried Dead Horse – Esopus Watershed

HOOVES

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Old Outhouse – Esopus Watershed

• Clearing, privy program,

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New Outhouse – Esopus Watershed

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Land Acquisition Program

• Since 1997, City has acquired more than 122,000 acres for source water

protection

• The City only acquires land from willing sellers and pays fair market value
• DEP uses scientific criteria to determine which lands to target for land

acquisition

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235 acres in Andes, acquired in 2002

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279 acres in Roxbury, acquired in 2004

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Land Acquisition Program: Land Area Contracts by Year

1,867 904 5,996 4,023 4,569 7,905 6,831 3,329 4,624 3,477 2,364 3,930 3,912 5,076 5,187 6,939 4,542 2,897 408 875 2,319 1,596 2,498 2,418 1,397 2,138 1,864 4,701 1,771 1,349 519 2,221 1,119 3,353 1,870 4,679 1,638 387 1,674 1,293 3,018 968 435

1,867 904 5,996 4,023 4,977 7,905 9,927 6,767 9,573 7,845 9,461 6,965 6,437 8,614 11,181 11,728 6,859 3,851

• 2,000

4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 YTD Total Watershed Agricultural Council - Conservation Easement Conservation Easement

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Protected Lands by Basin; % of Basin Land Area

12% 12% 12% 13% 5% 34% 14% 8% 8% 4% 5% 3% 1% 32% 3% 2% 7% 3% 21% 3% 15% 19% 5% 12% 34% 47% 55%

37% 20% 30% 33% 42% 49% 50% 62% 66%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Average Cannonsville Pepacton Schoharie Kensico West Branch Rondout Neversink Ashokan

Total Non-City Pre-MOA

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Surface Water Criteria - Examples

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Land Acquisition Priority Areas: Delaware & Catskill

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Land Acquisition Priority Areas: East of Hudson

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Neversink & Rondout Basins: 1997

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Neversink & Rondout Basins: 2012

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Boyd’s Corner: Protected Land as of 1997

West Branch Reservoir Boyd’s Corner Reservoir

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Boyd’s Corner: Protected Land as of 2012

Boyd’s Corner Reservoir West Branch Reservoir

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Cannonsville Basin Farm and Forestry

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Farm and Forest Management Plans

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Supporting Sustainable Agriculture

Through December 2011, DEP has:

• Completed 407 Whole Farm Plans completed in total, including 250 large

farms, 95 small farms, and 62 East-of-Hudson farms

• Installed 6,434 total best management practices at a cost of $42.7

million, including 5,087 on large farms at cost of $35.7 million, 952 on small farms at cost of $3.7 million, and 393 on East-of-Hudson farms at cost of $3.3 million After Before

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Through December 2011, DEP has:

• Completed 996 Forest Management Plans completed, covering in total

182,713 watershed acres

• Completed 311 Forest Road best management projects
• Finished 100+ portable bridge projects
• Held 250+ professional training workshops for loggers and foresters

Supporting Sustainable Forestry

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Source: New York City Panel on Climate Change

Climate Change & New York

Baseline 1971–2000 2020s 2050s 2080s Air Temperature 55°F + 1.5 to 3°F + 3 to 5°F + 4 to 7.5°F Precipitation 46.5 in + 0 to 5% + 0 to 10% + 5 to 10% Sea Level Rise NA + 2 to 5 in + 7 to 12 in + 12 to 23 in Rapid Ice-Melt Sea Level Rise NA + 5 to 10 in + 19 to 29 in + 41 to 55 in

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Stream Management Program

• Stabilizes failing stream beds and banks to prevent erosion
• Series of Management Plans and Demonstration Projects underway
• 50 restoration projects complete
• 5 Stream Management Plans complete
• Promotes sound stream protection practices with local partners;

community participation key to program success

Stream Management Program

Before After

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• More than 850 DEP employees work in the watershed, with an average

salary of $51,991.

• In 2009, DEP paid more than $44 million in salaries to employees working

within the eight watershed counties.

DEP Employment in the Watershed

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$22,952 $29,451 $32,531 $33,542 $37,721 $45,527 $51,991 $70,786 $79,093

$0 $10,000 $20,000 $30,000 $40,000 $50,000 $60,000 $70,000 $80,000 $90,000 Greene County Sullivan County Ulster County Schoharie County Delaware County Putnam County DEP Watershed Employees Dutchess County Westchester County

Average Annual Wages (2009)

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• In 2011, DEP paid more than $8.1 million to 267 retirees currently residing in
• ne of the eight watershed counties.

Retirement Benefits

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County Number of Retirees Value of Pension Payments Delaware 34 $928,830 Dutchess 22 $743,597 Greene 8 $234,602 Putnam 18 $866,421 Schoharie 1 $24,154 Sullivan 38 $1,029,282 Ulster 64 $1,580,696 Westchester 82 $2,773,316 Total 267 $8,180,900

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DEP Taxes Fund Watershed Schools

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$0 $5,000,000 $10,000,000 $15,000,000 $20,000,000 $25,000,000 School District Total Tax Levy School District City Taxes Paid in FY 2011

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For more information visit www.nyc.gov/dep

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