New York Times Explores How New York Gets Its Water for New Column "New York 101"

The New York Times has an interesting new column titled "New York 101" in which they break down a complex topic of how the City works from end-to-end alongside cute illustrations. For the most recent article in the column, the paper explores How New York Gets Its Water.

Revelations about tainted water have sparked worry across the country. The New York Times decided to look at how the nation’s largest municipal water supplier delivers what has been called the champagne of drinking water to 9.5 million people.

Be sure to check out the full article for more info on any step of the process.

The 92-mile-long Catskill Aqueduct, which plunges 1,100 feet underneath the Hudson River, was constructed a century ago.

The Catskill and Delaware Aqueducts feed into the Kensico Reservoir, where robotic buoys transmit information about water quality. Chlorine, which kills bacteria, and fluoride, for dental health, are added.

Over a billion gallons of water a day pass through an ultraviolet disinfection facility in Westchester County, the world’s largest.

The Hillview Reservoir is the last stop before the city’s water mains. Think of it as a 900-million-gallon bathtub, with enough water to supply the city for one day.

There most likely is at least one water main underneath every street in the city. Virtually every building in the city is then connected to the municipal system through smaller pipes called service lines.

There are about 1,000 water sampling stations throughout the city. Every day, field scientists visit 50 to check temperature, chlorine and pH levels, as well as the levels of certain chemicals that prevent pipe corrosion.

via New York Times

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Matt Coneybeare

Editor in Chief

Matt enjoys exploring the City's with his partner and son. He is an avid marathon runner, and spends most of his time eating, running, and working on cool stuff.

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