Delaware Aqueduct Shutting Down for the First Time Ever; Local Officials Concerned About Flooding

The Delaware Aqueduct will be shut down for five to eight months to complete vital leak repairs on Tuesday, October 1.The New York City Department of Environmental Protection says the work will connect a bypass tunnel under the Hudson River that was completed in 2021 after several major leaks were discovered near Newburgh and Wawarsing.The shutdown has local officials concerned about flooding. Six hundred million gallons per day are usually diverted from the Upper Delaware and sent to New York City; instead the water will pool in Upper Delaware reservoirs, including Pepacton, Neversink and Cannonsville. If the reservoirs start to overflow, there are few tools to safely empty them.  The aqueduct runs 105-miles in New York, from Ulster County to Westchester County, and supplies half of New York City’s water.Jason Dole spoke to Ruby Rayner of The River Reporter for more details.