NYCDEP calls for prohibition on drilling in New York City watershed
NEW YORK – The New York City Department of Environmental Protection, the agency that operates the extensive Catskills reservoir system, Wednesday called for a prohibition on any drilling in the city’s watershed.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation released a draft supplemental generic environmental impact statement on hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus Shale region.
High-volume hydrofracking and horizontal drilling pose “unacceptable threats to the unfiltered fresh water supply of nine million New Yorkers,” said Acting DEP Commissioner Steven Lawitts. “The known and unknown impacts associated with drilling simply cannot be justified.”
New York City Tuesday called on the DEC to rescind the draft EIS because, according to the city, it does not adequately address the risk of drilling in the watershed.
The DEP hired a consulting firm to analyze the impacts of fracking on the watershed. Hazen and Sawyer/Leggette, Brashears and Graham studied the conditions of the watershed and impacts of fracking and found a number of risks including industrialization, chemical contamination and infrastructure damage.
The Marcellus Shale formation runs through parts of New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Ohio.
via NYCDEP calls for prohibition on drilling in New York City watershed.
Popularity: 1% [?]
