Invasive Species Are Threatening the Quality of New York’s Tap Water

This story originally appeared on Inside Climate Science and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Partly as a result of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection’s consistent efforts to protect these watersheds through the Long-Term Watershed Protection Plan, this network is considered the gold standard for urban water supplies. But in recent years, three invasive species have emerged to threaten water quality at the city’s oldest reservoir, the Croton system. Currently, the city’s water supply network, particularly the New Delaware Aqueduct, is undergoing some repairs to fix a decades-old leak which was releasing millions of gallons of water into the ground in upstate New York. As that project enters its final phase, the New Croton Reservoir will be responsible for much more of the city’s total water supply.