FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	ENR

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 1998                                                                                                                          (202) 514-2008

                                                                                                                                                                                  TDD (202) 514-1888







NEW YORK CITY AGREES TO FILTER CROTON DRINKING WATER SYSTEM








	BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- Continuing a nationwide effort to ensure
the safety of drinking water, the federal government today
announced that New York City has agreed to build a filtration
plant for its Croton Drinking Water System to reduce the risk of
contamination to water used by nearly one million New York City
residents.  

	Under the settlement filed today in U.S. District Court in
Brooklyn, the City will build the filtration plant no later than
September 2006, spend $5 million primarily on projects to protect
the Croton watershed, and pay a $1 million penalty to resolve an
April 1997, lawsuit brought by the federal government.

	"We are pleased that New York City has committed to an
enforceable schedule for building a filtration plant," said 
United States Attorney Zachary W. Carter.  Mr. Carter promised
vigorous enforcement and oversight of the requirements of the
settlement.	

	The suit alleged that the City violated the federal Safe
Drinking Water Act by failing to filter the Croton water supply. 
New York State intervened as a plaintiff in the lawsuit and also
is a party to today's settlement.

	"This agreement means clean, filtered drinking water for
hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who depend on the Croton
Water Supply System, and will ensure the continuation of a safe
drinking water supply for years to come," said Lois Schiffer,
Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Justice Department's
Environment and Natural Resources Division.  "This settlement is
one more step in our effort to make sure all Americans can rely
on the safety of the water they get from their faucets."  

	"This consent decree will protect the health of the more
than one million New Yorkers who drink Croton water," said Steve
Herman, EPA Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and
Compliance Assurance.  "We will work with the City to ensure its
citizens receive safe, clean drinking water they can depend on."

	"This settlement and supplemental environmental projects
strengthen protections of the Croton watershed by requiring
additional land acquisition, improved storm water control and
additional sewer hookups." said Jeanne M. Fox, EPA Region Two
Administrator.  "Watershed protection will be used together with
filtration to provide Croton drinkers with a very effective
barrier against outbreaks of waterborne disease."  

	Filtering drinking water reduces the risk of waterborne
disease in surface water systems, which are susceptible to
potential contamination from disease causing organisms such as
giardia and cryptosporidium.

	The federal Safe Drinking Water Act requires that all
surface water systems, such as Croton, be filtered, unless
stringent public health criteria are met, making filtration
unnecessary.  Most surface water supplies in the country are
filtered to protect against risk of waterborne diseases which can
easily get into surface water supplies from human activity and
animals.  Filtration, coupled with disinfection and source water
protection, is the best means of ensuring the safety of the
City's water supply.

	The Croton watershed, located just north of New York City,
supplies ten percent of the City's drinking water, and in drought
conditions supplies up to 30 percent.  Drinking water from the
Croton system does not pose an immediate threat to public health,
but filtration is necessary to assure the safety of the water
supply.

	Under today's settlement, New York City will monitor the
quality and safety of its Croton Drinking Water System until the
filtration system is in full operation.  The watershed protection
measures the City will implement include, purchasing land and
replacing faulty septic tanks with sewers, and preventing storm
water runoff from contaminating the watershed. 

	The location of the filtration plant is a city and state
matter, and is not specified in the settlement.  The City will
follow State Environmental Quality Review Act procedures to
select a site for the filtration plant, and explore possible
environmental enhancement projects within the community or
communities where the filtration facilities will be constructed
to mitigate or offset any potential environmental impacts on the
community.  

	The proposed settlement will be published in the Federal
Register for a 30-day public comment period and must be approved
by the court.

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