The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has announced it will begin a new procurement and contracting process to make the final connection of a new bypass tunnel under the Hudson River – the last step in its US$2bn programme to fix leaks in the Delaware Aqueduct.
The project was paused in November following the historic autumn drought, ending the existing construction contract and forcing the final connection to be completed under a new procurement process. The need for a new contract, continued concerns about lower-than-average rainfall, and plans to upgrade pumps in the aqueduct, mean the final connection is not expected to be completed until after 2027.
“A new contract must take every contingency into account to ensure we meet our critical responsibility of providing the highest quality water possible to nearly 10 million New Yorkers every day, without exception,” said DEP commissioner Rohit T Aggarwala. “This final connection will allow us to continue fulfilling our vital mission for future generations.”
In 2010, New York City announced a plan to repair the leaking sections of the 136km Delaware Aqueduct, the longest tunnel in the world, by connecting a 4km-long bypass tunnel around leaks discovered in the 1990s deep under the Orange County Town of Newburgh, adjacent to the Hudson River. The new bypass, being connected 183m below the river’s surface, is the first tunnel built under the Hudson since 1957, when the south tube of the Lincoln Tunnel was completed. A separate smaller leak in the Ulster County Town of Wawarsing will also be repaired when the bypass connection is made.
Since 1992, DEP has continuously monitored the leaks, which can release more than of 35 million gallons per day, the vast majority of which is through the leaks near the Hudson River in Newburgh.
The final bypass connection requires an eight-month shutdown and draining of the Delaware Aqueduct that would start in October of any given year because demand for water is at its lowest all year during the winter months.
