New York City Water Supply

Transcription

1 USING ECOSYSTEM SERVICES New York City Water Supply FOR NEW YORK CITY WATER NEW YORK UN İÇME SUYU İÇİN EKOSİSTEM HİZMETLERİNDEN YARARLANMA Ira Stern Director, Natural Resources Division New York City Department of Environmental Protection Bureau of Water Supply

2 GOAL: Protect the city s water supply and maintain the reliability and resiliency of the water supply system 2 2

3 Outline Water for Cities New York City Watershed Agreement Hard and Soft Grey and Green Land Acquisition Collaborative Model Ecosystem Services Future of Water Q&A/Discussion 3

4 New York City Water Supply Serves ½ the population of NY State 4

5 New York City Water Supply Primarily a surface water supply 19 reservoirs & 3 controlled lakes System Capacity: 580 billion gallons Serves 9 million people (1/2 of population of New York State) Delivers approx. 1.1 billion gallons per day Source of water is a 2,000 square mile living watershed in parts of 8 upstate counties including 60 towns System operated and maintained by NYCDEP, majority of watershed is privately owned (75%) 5

6 1972 CLEAN WATER ACT Law that regulates the quality of the nation s waters. To make America s waterbodies fishable and swimmable Regulates discharges through the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) (SPDES). Sets effluent limits and requires monitoring. Requires the States to develop water quality standards and to classify waters Total Maximum Daily Loads Wetland Laws: prevents dredging, fill, and discharge into wetlands Grants for non-point pollution prevention/management Cuyahoga River on fire 1970

7 Safe Drinking Water Act establishes drinking water quality standards for all public water supplies (pathogens, chemical and biological) US EPA creates Surface Water Treatment Rule in 1989 to reduce risk of waterborne disease from microbial contaminants (pathogens) Requires surface water systems to filter and disinfect surface water sources Systems eligible for a waiver from filtration if they meet criteria for water quality coliforms and turbidity disinfection and byproducts Surface Water Treatment Rule watershed control program to minimize microbial contamination 7

8 Clean Water Act Public Water Supplies in the US USA Safe Drinking Water Act Surface Water Treatment Rule EU = Water Framework Directive ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Raw water originates in mountain forests and fields in a living watershed. NYC Catskill/Delaware water is UV treated and mildly chlorinated (90%) Croton water is filtered, UV treated and mildly chlorinated (10%) Fluoride and Phosphoric Acid added Phosphoric Acid is a common food preservative that is anti-corrosive and protects against the release of metals such as Lead from distribution pipes in buildings 8

9 NYC Water New York City s Water is mostly unfiltered! (1 of 6 unfiltered in US) Filtration Avoidance Determination Source Water Protection Water tested 600,000 times a year More than 250 variables analyzed Robotic monitoring 24/7/365 ph levels carefully monitored In City surveillance 9

10 Reservoirs Created Through Condemnation Taking of land by the government for a public purpose with just compensation Enabled the creation of the comprehensive NYC water supply over 2 centuries Valleys flooded, whole villages moved out (farms, churches, cemeteries) Alienated local communities! This needed to be reconciled a century later

11 What Is a Watershed? A watershed (catchment) is the area of land that drains to a particular point along a stream to a lake, reservoir, or bay Center for Watershed Protection

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13 TIMELINE Life of a Water Supply 1677 First Well in Manhattan 1776 First Reservoir (Lower B way) 1842 Croton System Built 1915 Catskill System Built 1931 Supreme Court Decision Clears Way for Delaware System 1967 Cannonsville Reservoir Completed 1997 Watershed Agreement 2012 UV Disinfection Plant Completed

14 1. Identify Watershed Boundaries 2. Establish Goals and Objectives 3. Watershed Inventory and Contaminant Assessment (prioritize) 4. Development of Protection Strategies (prioritize) 5. Implementation (prioritize) 6. Effectiveness Monitoring and Evaluation 7. Involve Stakeholders Throughout!! Watershed Approach

15 THREATS TO WATER SUPPLY Pathogens Human and animal waste Sources include septics, wastewater plants, farms, stormwater Nutrients Fertilizers from lawns and farms, wastewater, stormwater Sediment Natural and human induced erosion Streambank and bed erosion/poorly designed logging roads/inadequate stormwater infrastructure Coliforms human and animal waste waterfowl, failing septics, stormwater

16 Issues Driving City to Watershed Protection Increased federal regulation SDWA & SWTR Increased concern by public over safety of drinking water in Milwaukee incident City alarmed by potential cost of filtration plant (originally estimated at $6-8 billion) Firm belief by NYC that reliance on end-of-pipe solutions alone is not prudent; best approach is to protect quality of water at its source POLITICS new State Governor and City Mayor made solving the NYC Water situation a very high priority

17 Watershed Protection Programs Remedial Stormwater Controls WWTP Upgrades Sewer Extensions Septic System Rehabilitation Salt & Sand Storage Stream Corridor Protection Protective Watershed Rules & Regulations Land Acquisition Agricultural Programs Forestry Management Ecosystem Protection

18 1997 NYC Watershed Agreement 250 negotiating sessions EPA, State, local communities (EOH/WOH), special interest groups facilitated by the State Final Agreement Signed by more than 60 signatories in 1997 Includes Land Acquisition Permit New City Land Use Regulations Impervious surface restrictions Upgraded wastewater treatment plants Partnership Programs Environmental infrastructure for municipalities and individual homeowners Farm pollution prevention Economic development compatible with water quality

19 NYC Watershed Forest Principles #1 - Forest cover promotes high water quality Forest vigor Species diversity Structural diversity WHY? Vigorous growth - uptake of nutrients and to replace aging and dying trees while stabilizing soils Resiliency - Diversity to strengthen response to disturbances & changes including insects, diseases, weather events, climate change, etc. Water Retention forests store water and replenish groundwater 19

20 LAND ACQUISITION Willing seller/willing buyer only City to pay fair market value, based on appraisal Priority Areas, Natural Features Criteria Land divided into priority areas City pays property taxes on land it acquires City to allow recreational uses where consistent with water quality protection 10 year budget = $250 Million

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22 NYCDEP Land Portfolio Acres Owned and Classified By DEP Status West of Hudson East of Hudson Total Lands Open 118,385 24, ,531 Lands Closed 13,327 7,977 21,304 Total Lands 131,712 32, ,835 1% 2% 0% 0% 6% 3% 0% 0% 2% 0% 1% 2% 3% 15% 73% 92% Other** Coniferous Forest Deciduous Forest Crops Managed Grass Other Herbaceous Turf WOH Rec. Lands Total Surface Water (excluding reservoirs) Other Coniferous Forest Deciduous Forest Crops Managed Grass Other Herbaceous Turf EOH Rec. Lands Total Surface Water (excluding reservoirs) 22

23 Focus on NYC Land Ecological Health Invasive species (terrestrial and aquatic) Forest Regeneration Forest Management Planning, Implementation, Challenges Recreation Evolving Approach 23 23

24 The changing watershed forest Tree planting Ashokan 1913 DEP Police Kensico, NY

25 Percent of City Land Effective Age 45% Effective Age % 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Land Abandonment - Human Legacy Forest Conditions (Susan Stout, USFS) Lacking younger age classes Becoming over mature Ashokan Schoharie Neversink Rondout Pepacton Cannonsville Kensico Croton System West Branch/Boyds Corner 100 Years Effective Age (Years) Effective age on 65% of City lands is greater than 80 years, resulting in mature & over mature forests where growth has slowed or stagnated, making trees more susceptible to weather, disease & insect damage. Forest Inventory

26 Forests Provide the Best Cover for Water Quality 26 October 2008 October

27 Working Landscapes Well-managed farms and forests provide the most beneficial land cover for water quality protection Cities need water + food! Regulate Or Cooperate?

28 Whole Farm Plans Consider certain agricultural activities only with Whole Farm Plan and Agricultural BMPs in place

29 Grommeck Farm During Construction

30 Following Best Management Practice (BMP) Implementation

31 Farmers partnered with Cornell University to identify source of pathogens on farms Culprit = young cows Solution = better conditions Mutual Benefit = less pathogens and healthier cows NYC and farmers benefit!

32 Ecosystem Services Balanced nature produces clean water To coexist with sustainable human development, Nature needs protection and management The green infrastructure enhances the grey infrastructure investments More cost effective to protect and manage biodiversity than to clean pollution at end-of-pipe Intact forests Protected wetlands Stable rivers and streams Well managed farms

33 Ecological Future Forest Regeneration Invasive Species Climate Change Loss of Pollinators Ecological Restoration Deer Management Promote Natives Stronger Laws on Invasives Ecological Indicators (birds?) Education Youth Involvement 33 33

34 Rural Land Use Pattern Protected Sensitive Land Environmental Infrastructure Multiple Barrier Protection Local Capacity for Stewardship INTENDED RESULTS Peer to Peer Implementation and Education Multiple Objectives Addressed

35 Foreseeable Challenges for Water Resources Balancing Population and Water Quality Wild Cards: Acid Rain/Climate Change/Invasive Species Much Depends on Behavioral Change (residents/highway depts/farmers/streamside landowners) Permanent Land Protection now that it s protected, will the resources be there to manage and maximize ecosystem services?

36 Thank you! Questions?