Our NYC watersheds have reached emergency status, and this fragile water system is under attack as never before. Several huge developments in the Catskill watershed, proposed development of 3,000 acres in the Croton watershed and a major infrastructure emergency, such as the collapse of the Delaware tunnel - these are all it would take to have an unusable water supply that $9.5 billion of filtration may not fix.

When local and state politics threaten our water supply by allowing pollution from development and failing to fix infrastructure (tunnels and pipes under the ground), the federal government is the last resort to protect our water. Yet federal policies actually encourage the destruction of NYC watersheds that we depend on for clean, affordable drinking water.

1) The Bush administration has weakened the historic 1972 Clean Water Act by removing federal protection from many wetlands and streams, essential to the health of our watersheds. Because of Bush's "reclassification" of wetlands as well as recent court cases, many small (under 12 acres) and isolated wetlands and streams are no longer under the protection of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. NY State legislation is pending to restore these protections on a state level. Despite efforts of many conservationists, this legislation has been stalled and failed to pass the State Senate in the last 2 sessions.

The NYS Watershed Committee is fighting to save New York State's wetlands. You can help by calling and writing your local state senator to pass the wetlands bill (A.7905-a/S.4480-a).

2) Although the EPA rules require clean water supplies for filtered drinking water, there are NO federal limitations on building within the watersheds.

The federal EPA Surface Water Treatment Rule requires filtration for watersheds serving over 10,000 people. The EPA has granted a temporary filtration waiver for the Catskill and Delaware watersheds, west of Hudson, which supply 90% of New York City's water. Yet the EPA has required filtration for the Croton watershed, in Westchester and Putnam Counties, east of the Hudson, at a cost to New Yorkers of $1.5 billion.

The Croton: The watershed that has brought clean water to the city for over 150 years has been virtually abandoned. Under a filtration order since 1997 because the city "didn't have the will to protect it," the Croton, in Westchester and Putnam Counties, continues delivering clean water to over 1 million people. Yet protection efforts are few. The city has bought less than 700 acres over the last 7 years to protect the water. Filtration without viable management and protection has left 19% of the Croton open to development. Currently, development plans threaten over 3,000 acres. These projects would destroy remaining wetlands and pollute the reservoirs - long before the 8-year projected completion of the plant. Continued development in the Croton will fill in the wetlands and pollute this valuable watershed - and filtration can't produce drinking water out of sewage.

Sierra Club has joined a coalition of over 35 groups to protect and manage the Croton Watershed. With these organizations, we continue to fight an archaic, $1.5 billion filtration plant in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.

Catskill and Delaware Watersheds: Although the Catskill and Delaware watersheds enjoy a temporary waiver of filtration, federal inaction and state politics have also left them open to harmful development. Recently, a 2,000-acre resort was proposed on top of a pristine mountain. Belleayre Crossroads would blast over 540 acres off the top of a mountain (an area the size of over 350 football fields) and build 2 golf courses, hotels, time shares, houses, retail stores, roads, parking lots and sewage treatment plants. It is so large that one side would drain into the Delaware watershed, while the other would drain into the Catskill. The cost of filtration for these watersheds is $8 billion.

Sierra Club has joined a Catskill coalition to fight the Belleayre Crossroads proposal - in court, if necessary.

3) The Federal Aviation Association requires airport growth, regardless of the effect on the environment. Airports are exempt from reporting dangerous air and water pollution caused by aircraft, accidents and daily airport operations. Westchester County Airport lies less than 3 city blocks from the Kensico Reservoir, the holding reservoir for 90% of New York City's water. This airport has already expanded its night flights operations.

Recently, due to Sierra Club pressure, both the state legislatures and the Westchester County legislature passed resolutions to freeze expansion of the Westchester County Airport. Although this does not have the force of law, it is an important milestone in the ongoing fight to save the Kensico Reservoir.

4) The federal EPA has failed to set any standards or rules for rehabilitating aging water infrastructure. The entire east coast has infrastructure dating back a century and more. Corroded and leaking tunnels and pipes can harbor bacteria have been shown to add contaminants to public water. Currently there is a 40 million gallon per day leak in the Delaware Aqueduct, a 115-mile water tunnel west of the Hudson - enough water to supply the city of Rochester. The City has no plans to repair this tunnel over the next 10 years. If the tunnel collapsed, as much as 60% - 80% of New York City's water would be lost.

Over 8 months ago, we filed a Freedom of Information Letter (FOIL) asking the DEP for recent engineering and geological testing reports on the Delaware tunnel.

We plan to reach out to other groups throughout New York City and upstate, to educate the public about what we must do to save our water supply - before it is too late.

To help protect your water, contact Carolyn Zolas, chair of the NYS Watershed Committee, at zolas@optonline.net.