Bureaus and Offices

• Agency Chief Contracting Officer
• Customer Services
• Engineering Design and Construction
• Environmental Compliance
• Environmental Planning and Assessment
• Wastewater Treatment
• Water and Sewer Operations
• Water Supply

Office of the Agency Chief Contracting Officer

The Office of the Agency Chief Contracting Officer (ACCO) is responsible for the procurement activities of the agency including: competitive sealed bids, requests for proposals; small purchases and purchases through the Department of Citywide Administrative Services; contract payments; and State Prevailing Wage Laws. The Agency lets approximately 250 contracts a year totaling approximately $1 billion.

The ACCO's office interacts with personnel in each of the Agency's bureaus. In addition, staff provides information and guidance to the prospective contractors and current contractors regarding the bidding on small purchases, open market orders, etc. The Bid Room, which is open to the public, is where contractors purchase the plans and specifications for the competitive sealed bid contracts. It is also where all competitively sealed bid contracts are publicly opened.

Bureau of Customer Services

The Bureau of Customer Services is responsible for all functions related to water and sewer billing for residents of NYC and certain upstate communities. Additionally, the Bureau contracts for the installation of water meters in unmetered buildings and tests and validates the accuracy of water meters installed by private plumbers prior to installation. It also manages the Toilet Rebate Program and other water conservation programs.

Bureau of Engineering Design and Construction

The primary responsibility of the Bureau of Engineering Design and Construction is the planning, design and construction of major water quality related capital projects. These projects focus on two important issues for the City — the continued delivery of high quality drinking water to the City and the continued improvement of water quality within the New York Harbor and estuaries. These two important environmental goals create three important mandates for the Bureau of Environmental Engineering. These are the completion of City Tunnel No. 3, the upgrade of the Newtown Creek Water Pollution Control Plant, and the abatement of combined sewer overflows into the water bodies surrounding the City.

Bureau of Environmental Compliance

The DEP's Bureau of Environmental Compliance responsibilities include responding to 1,360 hazardous material emergency incidents annually; maintaining a comprehensive database of 3,700 facilities containing hazardous and toxic materials, managing environmental investigations and assessments of contaminated sites, overseeing the remediation of four active hazardous waste municipal landfills, conducting 24,000 field inspections in response to 15,000 air and noise code complaints in a year, helping implement the requirements of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, meeting with community and various public interest associations regularly to provide general information and promote compliance, and operating a New York State approved environmental laboratory to perform analysis of asbestos, air pollutant and hazardous materials samples.

The Bureau also provides, through the Environmental Economic Development Assistance Unit (EEDAU), regulatory and technical assistance to New York City businesses and non-profit organizations. EEDAU works with the Mayor's Office and other regulatory agencies at the City, State and Federal levels to coordinate and encourage similar efforts.

Bureau of Environmental Planning and Assessment

The Bureau of Environmental Planning and Assessment is responsible for conducting environmental reviews for DEP in accordance with all applicable City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR) and State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) regulations. In addition, this office provides technical assistance to other City agencies especially in the areas of air and noise quality and hazardous materials. The Office also provides technical assistance for the preservation of natural resources (wetlands remediation and development of natural landscaping plans) and conducts long range planning (population/employment, consumption and demand/flow) for the agency. The Bureau also conducts strategic planning to help ensure appropriate forecasting, trend analysis, regulatory review, scientific modeling, and research. In particular, the Bureau oversees the development of a watershed/sewershed protection plan for Jamaica Bay, is continuing the work of the climate change task force, and helps DEP plan for the new growth stimulated by rezoning throughout the City.

Bureau of Wastewater Treatment

The Bureau of Wastewater Treatment maintains the chemical and physical integrity of NY Harbor and other local water bodies and sustains the continued use and viability of the NY water environment through: the removal of organic and toxic pollutants from the City's wastewater; control of discharges from Combined Sewer Overflows and dry weather bypassing; optimum operation of treatment plant collections system; integration of watershed management concepts into facilities' planning and design; and enforcement of a city-wide industrial pre-treatment and pollution prevention program.

To achieve these water quality goals, the Bureau, with an administrative, technical and field staff of approximately 2,000 employees, operates: 14 water pollution control plants treating and average of 1.5 billion gallons of wastewater a day; 89 wastewater pump stations: 8 dewatering facilities; 490 sewer regulators; and 6,000 miles of intercepting sewers. The Bureau also operates a skimmer vessel to retrieve floatable debris from local waters and manages the Harbor Survey Program for the routine sampling and analysis of the waters in NY Harbor.

Bureau of Water and Sewer Operations

The primary responsibilities of the Bureau of Water and Sewer Operations are: the operation, maintenance and protection of the City's drinking water and wastewater collection (sewer) systems; the protection of adjacent waterways; and the development and protection of the Department's Capital Water and Sewer Design Program. The Bureau also approves and inspects water and sewer connections performed by licensed plumbers and/or authorized contractors. In addition, the Bureau has overall responsibility for the approval and inspection of all public and private construction projects which could impact on the City's water or sewer systems.

For this reason, anyone wishing to build a private sewer, to construct any type of structure on a City sidewalk, to discharge water from a below ground swimming pool into the sewer system, or to connect a service line with the City's water or sewer system for any reason must receive the approval of this bureau. We are also responsible for maintaining and updating all water and sewer information records for the City of New York.

Through the maintenance and repair of the City's water and sewer systems, our field forces ensure: (1) that residences and businesses will have an adequate supply of potable water, (2) that there will be sufficient water for fire protection, and (3) that we will have a properly functioning wastewater collection system. Thus, the services we provide extend far beyond the routine day-to-day operation of the water and sewer systems, and include responding to many different problems and emergency situations. These include: water main breaks; leaks from water and sewer mains; broken or inoperable fire hydrants; open hydrants; sewer backups; catch basin (street drainage); failures resulting in street flooding; and complaints of poor water pressure, discolored water, or water with taste or odor problems.

The Bureau is also responsible for the operation of the Staten Island Bluebelt. This is an ecologically sound, cost effective natural alternative to storm sewers, which occupies approximately 15 square miles of land in the South Richmond area of Staten Island. This project preserves streams, ponds and other wetland ("bluebelt") areas, allowing them to perform their natural function of conveying, storing and filtering storm water. These areas also provide important community open spaces and a diverse wildlife habitat.

Bureau of Water Supply

The Bureau of Water Supply manages, operates and protects New York City's upstate water supply system to ensure the delivery of a sufficient quantity of high quality drinking water. The Bureau is also responsible for the overall management and implementation of the provisions of the City's $1.5 billion Watershed Protection Program resulting from the Watershed Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) and for ensuring the City's compliance with the provisions of the Filtration Avoidance Determination. The Bureau conducts extensive monitoring of water quality, both within the City's distribution system and throughout the upstate watersheds. In addition, the Bureau has responsibility for system planning, engineering, management and acquisition of lands, enforcement of watershed regulations, and security.