New York City Department of Environmental Protection

New York City Department of Environmental Protection
Company type	Municipal agency
Industry	Water supply, Pollution management
Headquarters	New York City, United States
Area served	New York City and surrounding counties
Key people	Rohit Aggarwala (Commissioner)
Products	Water supply, wastewater treatment, pollution control
Owner	City of New York
Number of employees	Approximately 1,900 (Bureau of Wastewater Treatment)
Parent	New York City government
Website	www.nyc.gov/dep

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is a municipal agency responsible for overseeing New York City's water supply and pollution management. With an operating budget of $1.3 billion, DEP supplies water daily to over 9 million inhabitants through an extensive infrastructure comprising nineteen reservoirs, three controlled lakes, and a vast network of water mains, tunnels, and aqueducts.

In addition to water delivery, DEP administers the city's combined sewer system along with fourteen wastewater treatment facilities. The department enforces compliance with the federal Clean Water Act, coordinates responses to hazardous material incidents and toxic site cleanups, supervises asbestos monitoring and abatement, enforces air quality and noise regulations, manages water billing and collections, and implements citywide initiatives for water conservation. DEP’s regulatory framework is established under title 15 of the New York City Rules.

Drinking water

The DEP operates three upstate water supply systems that provide drinking water to the city: the Croton, Catskill, and Delaware systems. This distribution network has a storage capacity of and delivers more than daily to upwards of eight million residents as well as one million users in four neighboring upstate counties. The system includes roughly of water mains.

Wastewater treatment

Wastewater generated throughout the city is conveyed via an extensive sewer pipe network exceeding in length. The Bureau of Wastewater Treatment (BWT) manages fourteen treatment plants processing an average daily volume of , supported by 96 pump stations, eight dewatering facilities, and 490 sewer regulators. BWT’s workforce consists of approximately 1,900 employees, operating with an annual budget of $340 million and a capital budget allocation of $200 million.

College Point, New York#Tallman Island Water Pollution Control Plant Queens 80 300 Upper East River Port Richmond, Staten Island Staten Island 60 230 Kill Van Kull Red Hook, Brooklyn Brooklyn, Governor's Island 60 230 Lower East River

**Wastewater Treatment Plants**
Plant	Service area	Capacity per day		Discharges to
Millions of gallons	Thousands of cubic meters
26th Ward	Eastern Brooklyn	85	320	Jamaica Bay
Bowery Bay	Northeast Queens	150	570	Upper East River
Coney Island	South and Central Brooklyn	110	420	Jamaica Bay
Hunts Point	Eastern Bronx	200	760	Upper East River
Jamaica	Southern Queens	100	380	Jamaica Bay
Newtown Creek	Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens	310	1,200	East River
North River	Manhattan	170	640	Hudson River
Oakwood Beach	Staten Island	40	151	Lower New York Bay
Rockaway	Queens	45	170	Jamaica Bay
Owls Head	Brooklyn	120	450	Upper New York Bay
Wards Island	Bronx, Manhattan	275	1,040	"Upper East River"

Commissioners

The current commissioner, Rohit Aggarwala, was appointed by Mayor Eric Adams in January 2022. Past commissioners have included:

Frank McArdle (1978–81), under Ed Koch
Joe McGough (1982–86), during Ed Koch's administration
Harvey Schultz (1986–89), also under Ed Koch
Albert Appleton (1990–93), appointed by David Dinkins
Marilyn Gelber (1994–96), during Rudy Giuliani’s tenure
Joel Miele (1996–2002), serving under Rudy Giuliani
Christopher O. Ward (2002–05), appointed by Michael Bloomberg
Caswell F. Holloway (2009–2011), under Michael Bloomberg
Carter H. Strickland, Jr. (2011–2014), also appointed by Michael Bloomberg
Emily Lloyd (2014–2016), during Bill de Blasio’s administration
Vincent Sapienza (2017–2022), serving under Bill de Blasio
Rohit Aggarwala (2022–present), appointed by Eric Adams

Watershed security

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection Police (DEP Police), formerly known as the Bureau of Water Supply Police and Aqueduct Police, serves as the law enforcement entity safeguarding New York City's water supply system, which is the largest single-source water supply in the United States. With a history spanning over a century, the DEP Police hold jurisdiction across 14 counties in New York State, including all five boroughs of New York City.

Training for recruits takes place in Kingston, NY, comprising six months of instruction plus an additional month stationed at a designated precinct. Academy classes typically consist of 20 to 40 trainees, with new sessions held every few years; the latest graduating class included four officers.

As BWS Police

Created through the 1906 Water Supply Act, the Bureau of Water Supply Police began appointing provisional officers in 1907 and permanent personnel in 1908. Initial precincts were established in Peekskill, Garrison, Browns Station, and High Falls. This agency was notable as the first police force in upstate New York to hold jurisdiction across multiple counties.

In 1908, Rhinelander Waldo was named Chief of the Board of Aqueduct Police, overseeing roughly 60 officers before transitioning to serve as New York City Fire Commissioner. His successor, Captain Douglas I. McKay, implemented rigorous criteria for sergeant candidates—requiring skills such as horsemanship and military service, with preference given to veterans of the Spanish–American War. Nearly 200 men met these sergeant qualifications.

The Aqueduct Police expanded to approximately 350 officers, including 300 mounted personnel responsible for maintaining order at construction sites. The first precinct was constructed near Peekskill and staffed by sergeants and mounted officers. During World War I, responsibilities increased to include protection of the city's water supply infrastructure. Today, DEP Police continue this protective role and participate annually in memorial ceremonies honoring DEP employees who lost their lives during WWI, coordinating efforts with state defense forces and local government representatives.

As DEP Police

In 1983, following the transformation of the Bureau of Water Supply into the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), New York State Legislature amended the Criminal Procedure Law to formally recognize DEP police officers. By 1999, DEP's jurisdiction had been extended to encompass all five boroughs within New York City.

The New York State Court of Appeals reaffirmed DEP Police Department’s authority over the entire watershed area in 2004. Unlike many other law enforcement bodies in NYC classified as peace officers, DEP Police officers are sworn New York State police officers with full law enforcement powers.

Breach of Federal Environmental Regulations

The federal authorities initiated an inquiry into DEP in 1998. On August 29, 2001, DEP admitted guilt to criminal breaches of the Clean Water Act and the Toxic Substances Control Act, leading to a probationary period. During probation, DEP launched an environmental, health, and safety compliance initiative aimed at preventing future infractions and enhancing worker safety.

In 2003, DEP created the Office of Environmental, Health and Safety Compliance (EHS) to manage safety protocols and regulatory adherence, including oversight of the EHS Employee Concerns Program.

Probation was prolonged in 2006 following an incident where untreated sewage was released into the East River amid the August 2003 blackout caused by generator malfunctions. Federal supervision concluded on December 25, 2009.

Employee Concerns Program

This program assists DEP personnel in reporting environmental breaches and hazardous conditions while safeguarding against retaliation or intimidation. Its principal components include: - A confidential hotline accessible around the clock for employee concerns - A contract management strategy designed to accelerate safety-related contract processing - A comprehensive risk management framework

Tiered Audit Program

This initiative ranks workplace hazards by priority, allowing DEP to detect and resolve over 44,000 identified issues.

Compliance Action Plan

This plan guarantees DEP's adherence to all applicable federal, state, and local environmental, health, and safety statutes through policy formulation, employee training, and distribution of protective equipment.

Since 2001, DEP has allocated roughly $160 million toward programs focused on environmental health and safety.

OpX Initiative

In 2011, the New York City Water Board selected Veolia Water to collaborate with DEP in advancing New York City's drinking water supply, sewage collection systems, and wastewater treatment processes. Veolia partnered with McKinsey & Company and Arcadis for supplementary analytical and technical support. This program, named "Operational Excellence (OpX): The Best Always Do Better," harnesses employee insights alongside global best practices to establish DEP as the nation's "safest, most efficient, cost-effective, and transparent water utility."

Rather than implementing reactive budget reductions during financial constraints, OpX emphasizes fortifying DEP through workflow optimization, enhanced efficiency, and ongoing identification of improvement areas. The objective is to maintain service quality, safety standards, and operational productivity while minimizing rate increases for nearly 836,000 customers. The Commissioner set a goal for OpX to realize operational savings between $100 million and $200 million by 2016.

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