The Cannonsville Reservoir, New York City\u2019s third-largest source of drinking water, could be expanding after a drought two years ago reduced the city\u2019s water supply to worryingly low levels.<\/p>\n
The Delaware River Basin Commission, the federal interstate agency that manages a 13,539 square mile watershed that supplies drinking water to four states, is evaluating the option to increase the 96 billion gallon water supply as it plans for future drought, flooding and saltwater infiltration from projected sea level rise.<\/p>\n
\u201dDry conditions in this basin can happen quickly, and conditions can change quickly,\u201d said Kristen Bowman Kavanagh, executive director of the Delaware River Basin Commission. \u201cOur responsibility is to make sure that we are understanding any potential changes that are happening in the basin with respect to climate change and sea level rise.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the commission manages the area\u2019s water, New York City owns three of its reservoirs: Cannonsville, Pepacton and Neversink. The city is the basin’s largest water consumer, depending on it for about half of its drinking water.<\/p>\n
The basin also serves New York state, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.<\/p>\n
In 2024, the city declared its first drought warning in more than 20 years. That delayed a planned $2 billion repair on the Delaware Aqueduct \u2014 which brings water from Cannonsville to the city \u2014 to stop the daily leakage of 35 million gallons of water. That year, the municipal reservoir levels overall dropped to roughly 60%, well below the normal range of mid-70s to low 80s.<\/p>\n