A watershed is land that drains or sheds water to a stream or, lake, river, reservoir estuary sea or ocean. It includes networks of rivers, streams and lakes that brings water as well as land surfaces from where the the water runs off. Watersheds are separated from other watersheds by mountains hills and cliffs.
New York State has 17 watersheds. These watersheds are used as assessment areas for clean drinking water. New York has 7,600 fresh water lakes ponds and Reservoirs which includes 2 of the Great Lakes. New York Rivers carry water to larger bodies of water.70, 000 miles of river and streams cross New York State.
· The Hudson
· The Susquehanna
· The Delaware
· The Saint Lawrence
· The NiagraRivers.
There is a number of Reservoirs that thirsty New York depends on for their water supply. The water supply comes from the Catskill Delaware watershed in upstate New York. The relationships between the watershed areas and New York City are strained to say the least. The city’s need for clean water and the need for management around the watershed has been a sore spot for over 100 years. These areas have strict rules by the EPA to ensure safe water for now and the future. The Catskill contain over 350 farms about 77000 year round residents and that’s not including summer recreation and tourists.Some of the problems of safe water contamination include waste water dumping from treatment plants and run off from city streets to dairy farms.
In 1993 the EPA issued a filtration wavier and said that New York City would take certain steps to maintain the and protest Catskill -Delaware drinking water. To do this committees were formed so that New York City and Catskill-Delaware could finalize these negotiations and acquire lands to protect sensitive areas and key reservoirs, conduct water quality and support upstate, downstate partnership programs. New York state will adapt to the cities watershed regulations land acquisition permits and to ensure the Cities regulations are met and protect public health. EPA will oversee New York City’s filtration wavier. So now the City vs. State has to implement the agreement. What this means is now the water sheds residents can build within the regulations of the waiver or SELL to the city. The watersheds residents will also have to participate in the watership council. All of this is to save money and avoid an expensive filtration system. This means honoring regulations and rules that weren’t there before so that the watershed communities become environmentally sustainable.
Now th The big question is whose best interest is this going to be in? Is the city’s thirst for water and saving money worth changing rules and regulations for the water shed community? Are they tuff unfair and unrealistic? Or is this a chance for the watershed community for development and growth in an environmentally responsible manner?
The EPA plays a major role in implementing compliance in the watershed New York City rules, which makes sure everyone follows Federal drinking water regulations. The NYDEC routinely monitors and asseseswater quality throughout the state and publishes detailed report of the findings.
My reason for my obsession with the watersheds is my insignificant other has a cabin just north of the Pepacton Reservoir. We drive around this enormous reservoir on the last hour of the trip. It was boring and long ,until I saw deticatons to towns that were flooded for the resevior.
The Pepacton was co The Pepacton was completed in 1907 and was the first reservoir west of the Hudson River. Other reservoirs came after like the Gilboa 1926 the Neversink 1950 and Rondout 1951. Plans to tap the Delaware were protected by many towns and villages around the watershed area. Many residents of the area had little or no voice in the matter and had to settle for monetary settlements and a new life somewhere else. Some families were force or their land to make way for the Pepactonto be built. This was called eminent domain. The bitter feelings between upstate and downstate for restoring this land remain to this day. The Pepacton Reservoir eventually flooded four communities Arena,Pepacton, Shaverton and Union Grove. New York City Board of water also acquired ten cemeteries of which bodies were re- interred.
The Pepacton is 2,450 ft long 204 ft high dam at Downsville finished in 1954 and held most of the water for the city. The Pepacton was 18 ½ miles long covering 9 square miles and hold 140.2 billion gallons of water₁. The reservoir was made to send 335,000 gal of water a day to the Roundout Reservoir than 85 miles to the Delaware Aqueduct than to Hillview Reservoir and then to New York City.The drive around the Pepcton is still long but t The thought of eminent domain and dead bodies moved so we can have water is still a blur to me. What do the watershed people tell their children where they are from?
But then I think to myself what if the DEC didn’t protect all that land would I be drinking the delicious glass of water?
