Hinchey urges New York City DEP to address leaking Delaware Aqueduct in Wawarsing

WASHINGTON - Congressman Maurice Hinchey has asked New York City Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Emily Lloyd to take immediate action to relieve the “enormous burden” that leaks from the Delaware Aqueduct are causing for residents of Wawarsing.

The Delaware Aqueduct System, also known as the Rondout-West Branch Tunnel, supplies more than half of the water supply to the more than eight million residents of New York City. 

Approximately 30 million gallons of water per day are leaking from the aqueduct and being pressured upward through the ground into people's homes and drinking wells. The result has been a contaminated water supply and the need for residents to run pumps around the clock to rid their homes of water.

The DEP, meanwhile, responded to Hinchey by saying a Project Advisory Committee has been formed to address the water problems in Wawarsing with a special emphasis of any influence of the leak in the Delaware Aqueduct.

Committee members include homeowners, representatives from DEP, the Town of Wawarsing, Ulster County Health Department, New York State Department of Transportation, and offices of Congressman Hinchey and New York State Senator John Bonacic, the agency said.  Two meetings have been held in the last four weeks and another meeting is scheduled for the end of July.

“Ongoing water sampling of individual properties has occurred over the last two months as part of a comprehensive investigation into the impact of the leak.  Discussions and inventories of stormwater infrastructure have been initiated, as well as a special tunnel shutdown in early June to aid one of the tests,” according to a statement.

“DEP is encouraged by the participation of the homeowners and the agencies in the PAC.  As a result of these meetings, a cooperative effort between DEP, NYSDOT and the town is emerging to improve stormwater drainage in the area.  DEP is also currently considering a variety of strategies to further investigate the leak and to mitigate the water related impacts in the area.”