Watershed Management for Portable Water Supply : Assessing the New York City Strategy

In 1997, New York City adopted a mammoth watershed agreement to protect its drinking water and avoid filtration of its large upstate surface water supply. Shortly thereafter, the NRC began an analysis of the agreement's scientific validity. The resulting book finds New York City's watershed agreement to be a good template for proactive watershed management that, if properly implemented, will maintain high water quality. However, it cautions that the agreement is not a guarantee of permanent filtration avoidance because of changing regulations, uncertainties regarding pollution sources, advances in treatment technologies, and natural variations in watershed conditions. The book recommends that New York City place its highest priority on pathogenic microorganisms in the watershed and direct its resources toward improving methods for detecting pathogens, understanding pathogen transport and fate, and demonstrating that best management practices will remove pathogens. Other recommendations, which are broadly applicable to surface water supplies across the country, target buffer zones, stormwater management, water quality monitoring, and effluent trading. Front Matter......Page 1 Preface......Page 7 Contents......Page 11 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY......Page 15 1 THE PROBLEM......Page 37 2 The New York City Water Supply System......Page 59 3 Evolution of Key Environmental Laws, Regulations, and Policies......Page 102 4 Watershed Management for Source Water Protection......Page 144 5 Sources of Pollution in the New York City Watersheds......Page 172 6 Tools for Monitoring and Evaluation......Page 220 7 Land Acquisition and Land Use Planning......Page 293 8 Phosphorus Management Policies, Antidegradation, and Other Management Approaches......Page 328 9 Nonpoint Source Pollution Management Practices......Page 400 10 Setbacks and Buffer Zones......Page 441 11 Wastewater Treatment......Page 482 12 Overarching Issues......Page 506 Appendix A Abridged Version of the New York City Watershed Memorandum of Agreement (MOA)......Page 531 Appendix B Use Classifications and Water Quality Criteria for New York State......Page 537 Appendix C Microbial Risk Assessment Methods......Page 542 Appendix D Analysis of Wastewater Treatment Plants and Onsite Sewage Treatment and Disposal Systems: The Impact Index......Page 546 Appendix E Acronyms......Page 556 Appendix F Biographical Information......Page 564 In 1997, New York City adopted a mammoth watershed agreement to protect its drinking water and avoid filtration of its large upstate surface water supply. Shortly thereafter, the National Research Council began an analysis of the agreement's scientific validity.The resulting book finds New York City's watershed agreement to be a good template for proactive watershed management that, if properly implemented, will maintain high water quality. However, it cautions that the agreement is not a guarantee of permanent filtration avoidance because of changing regulations, uncertainties regarding pollution sources, advances in treatment technologies, and natural variations in watershed conditions.The book recommends that New York City place its highest priority on pathogenic microorganisms in the watershed and direct its resources toward improving methods for detecting pathogens, understanding pathogen transport and fate, and demonstrating that best management practices will remove pathogens. Other recommendations, which are broadly applicable to surface water supplies across the country, target buffer zones, stormwater management, water quality monitoring, and effluent trading. Recommends that New York City place its highest priority on pathogenic microorganisms in the watershed and direct its resources toward improving methods for detecting pathogens and understanding pathogen transport and fate. This book also focuses on buffer zones, stormwater management, water quality monitoring, and effluent trading.