A series of aqueducts that supply about half of New York City's water will be closed for the winter as part of a $2 billion project to address a massive leak in the lower Hudson River.
Delaware Aqueduct in upstate New York temporarily closed Although work has been done over the years, Officials are steadily increasing capacity from other areas of the city's vast 19-reservoir system. Officials say the city's taps will continue to have uninterrupted water after the shutdown begins this week, but the city's famously refreshing taste could be affected as other water sources become more available. It is said that there is a sex.
“Water is always going to be there,” said Paul Rush, deputy director of the city's Department of Environmental Protection. “We're going to change the formulation of water that consumers get.”
The Delaware Aqueduct is the world's longest tunnel, carrying water 85 miles (137 kilometers) from four reservoirs in the Catskills region to others in the city's northern suburbs.
It has been in operation since 1944 and supplies about half of the 1.1 billion gallons (4.2 billion liters) per day used by more than 8 million New York City residents. The system also serves some northern municipalities.
But the aqueduct leaks up to 35 million gallons (132 million liters) of water per day, almost all of it from far downstream in the Hudson River.
The massive water leak has been known for decades, but city officials were faced with a challenge. They say they cannot shut down the vital aqueduct for years to repair the tunnel.
Instead, they began building a parallel 2.5-mile (4-kilometer) bypass tunnel under the river about 10 years ago.
The new tunnel will be connected during the closure period, which is expected to last up to eight months. During that time, more than 40 miles (64 kilometers) of the aqueducts that descend from the state's four reservoirs in the northern part of the state will be out of service, but sections closer to the city will remain in use.
Other leaks further north of the aqueduct are expected to be repaired in the coming months.
Rush said the work was done to avoid the summer months when demand is high. The city has also spent years improving other parts of the system, some of which are more than 100 years old.
“There's a lot of work being done on where to get alternative sources of supply,” Rush said.
The capacity of the complementary Catskill Aqueduct will increase to provide more drinking water from 12 reservoirs and three lakes in the Croton watershed on the city's northern outskirts.
City officials say increased reliance on suburban reservoirs could affect the taste of the water because there are more minerals and algae in the Croton system.
“While some residents may notice temporary and subtle taste or aroma differences during repairs, a change in taste does not mean there is anything wrong with the water,” said DEP Secretary Rohit Agarwala. he said in a prepared statement. “Just like different brands of bottled water taste a little different, different reservoirs taste a little different.”



