WATERSHED PROTECTION FOR NEW-YORK-CITY SUPPLY

Since 1987, New York City has enhanced its comprehensive watershed mon itoring program (including pathogen monitoring), developed a disease s urveillance and outbreak detection program, and implemented a watershe d protection program that has improved water quality. The city recogni zed that high-quality source water and effective watershed protection are the foundation of filtration avoidance under the federal Surface W ater Treatment Rule (SWTR). Accordingly, the city applied for and rece ived filtration avoidance determinations for the Catskill and Delaware portions of its system. This article summarizes the city's water qual ity data and watershed monitoring and protection programs in the conte xt of the SWTR. A Watershed Memorandum of Agreement, signed Jan. 21, 1 997, provides for land acquisition, updated watershed regulations, and partnership programs. As part of the watershed agreement, USEPA issue d a four-month interim filtration avoidance and will issue a revised f iltration avoidance later in 1997. Provided the city meets certain pro visions, this will allow it to avoid filtering the Catskill and Delawa re supplies until at least Apr. 15, 2002.