The article I have chosen to blog about this week, “How New York Gets Its Water”, by the New York Times, took a detailed look into the amazing process of supplying the largest city in the United States with its clean water.  The reason I have chosen to blog about this article is because of recent controversy in Flint, Michigan where public drinking water was contaminated, and also how fresh water has been a topic evaluated in our modules throughout this course.  I found the article very informative and was interested in seeing the process and detailed thought that goes into creating such a large scale plan.  In the article it is noted that 90 percent of the city’s supply is from the Catskill/Delaware watershed, which extends nearly 125 miles northwest of the city.  The watershed extends over a million acres and is owned by the city, state and local governments, nonprofit land conservancies, and private owners so the land can be regulated to prevent pollutants from getting into the water supply.  A 92-mile-long Catskill Aqueduct is located 1,100 feet underneath the Hudson River and was constructed nearly a century ago.  The Aqueduct uses only gravity to force the water into the city making it an extremely efficient system.  The article also shares interesting information on the high-tech water treatment facilities and amazingly engineered water grid throughout the city.  The project is huge and is updated yearly as new problems arise, however, New York has done an amazing job of staying on top of the system.  I am pretty amazed at how big the process is and how much time and effort went in to engineering it.  Although every city has its own complex system it is stated that many should learn from the way New York has accomplished the goal of supplying such a large population.  New York’s water is commonly nicknamed the “Champagne of Drinking Water” and I am glad I got a chance to read this article to learn a little more of how it works.

Rueb, Emily S. “How New York Gets Its Water.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 23 Mar. 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/03/24/nyregion/how-nyc-gets-its-water-new-york-101.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fearth&action=click&contentCollection=earth®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0>.