KINGSTON — The October breakfast of the Ulster Regional Chamber of Commerce became a deep dive into New York’s century-old water infrastructure — a 570-billion-gallon network now undergoing a multiyear $30 billion modernization.
John Milgrim, director of External Affairs for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Water Supply, delivered a sweeping overview of the gravity-fed system that provides drinking water to half the state’s population — including New York City, parts of New Jersey, and even Philadelphia.
Water from the Hudson Valley and Catskills delivers about 400 billion gallons a year through 19 reservoirs across eight counties. The system’s two main conduits — the 92-mile Catskill Aqueduct and 85-mile Delaware Aqueduct — carry up to 100 percent of New York City’s supply.
“There are no pumps in the system,” Milgrim said. “It all runs on gravity, flowing under the Hudson River through aqueducts built more than 100 years ago — one of which remains the longest continuous tunnel in the world.”
DEP tests the water three million times a year using robotic buoys and digital sensors. It is also Ulster County’s largest taxpayer, paying $28 million annually, and employs more than 200 local workers. “The employees we have range from biologists to lawyers to land planners, vehicle operators, police officers,” Milgrim said. “Their primary responsibility is protecting the water supply system and infrastructure.”
Major capital projects include a $1.3 billion overhaul of the Ashokan Reservoir — “the largest capital construction project in the Catskills in generations,” Milgrim said — featuring new gates, valves, and a wider dividing-weir bridge.
“Ultimately, it is going to be over a decade worth of capital work. It is estimated right now, and numbers change, $1.3 billion, hundreds of jobs,” he said.
Other projects include the $2 billion Delaware Aqueduct Bypass Tunnel near Newburgh, the $2 billion Kensico–Eastview Connection Tunnel in Westchester, and a $1.2 billion, 25-year upgrade to the Hillview Reservoir in Yonkers to meet EPA mandates.
When Chamber President Ward Todd asked whether the projects would bring local jobs, Milgrim confirmed that contractors are encouraged to hire regional tradespeople.