New York City Water: A Clear Winner

JANUARY 12, 2010

What makes New York City tap water so good?

Providing over 1.1 billion gallons of water daily to eight million people, New York City’s tap water supply comes from a series of upstate water tables, including the Croton and Delaware watersheds. The process relies almost entirely on gravity, and the system produces water so clean that it doesn’t require filtration, putting New York in the company of a small handful of cities who are able to provide unfiltered water—including San Francisco, Seattle, Boston and Portland, Oregon. To be safe, the water is treated with chlorine, fluoride, and food-grade phosphoric acid. This Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) filtration exemption allows the state to save $6-8 billion that would be required to build a water filtration plant.

Those savings are put to good use: The city purchases land—the watershed is in one of the country’s largest protected wilderness areas—and ensures best-management practices. The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has also rolled out a $19.5 billion investment strategy to make sure the water remains up to par. Our water’s most recent (clean) bill of health, from one of many regular reports, covers the city’s tap water for 10 years. One entrepreneurial resident has even taken to bottling and selling New York City tap water (LA Times) under the name Tap’d NY. It may be pure hubris, but at least its pure water.

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New York City Water: A Clear Winner

JANUARY 12, 2010

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