April 21, 2023

Dam Removal Site Restoration Project Ahead of Schedule and Under Budget

All saplings planted with compost made from dried solid waste from wastewater treatment plants throughout the Catskills watersheds built by DEP

Photos are available on our Flickr page

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) this week finalized the plantings of more than 8,000 native species trees and shrubs on its 114-acre parcel in the Ulster County Town of Wawarsing as part of its project removing most of the Honk Falls Dam and restoring and reforesting the shores of the Rondout Creek below the Rondout Reservoir. The mature trees and saplings, as well as additional seeded areas, will establish roots using compost made in part from dried solid waste from municipal wastewater treatment plants throughout the Catskills watersheds and built by DEP.

“The work of our agency takes many extraordinary forms but there is a distinct pride in reaching back to the basics to re-establish a large native forest on City property adjacent to the pristine Catskills watershed region,” said DEP Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala. “What better way to mark Earth Week than to create a sustainable natural ecology and help it grow and flourish as a critical investment in our future.”

The reforestation at the Honk Falls site off Route 55 in Wawarsing, which DEP acquired in 2021 in conjunction with ongoing work to repair the Delaware Aqueduct, includes the planting of more than 250 red maples, 330 Birch, 380 Sycamores, 270 Oak trees and 225 Willows, among others. Additionally, the plantings included more than 6,200 shrubs, including mostly Dogwood, Button Bush and Elderberry varieties.

The reforestation of the site was part of a project removing the 125-year-old Honk Falls Dam, deemed in poor condition before it was acquired by DEP, on the Rondout Creek. The dam, originally more than 40 feet tall and nearly 300 feet across, was reduced to the level of the surrounding streambed sediment allowing the creek to continually flow mostly unobstructed from the Rondout Reservoir and northward toward the Hudson River. The entire 18-month $13.4 million project is due for completion this June, both ahead of scheduled and under budget.

DEP manages New York City’s water supply, providing approximately 1 billion gallons of high-quality drinking water each day to nearly 10 million residents. This includes more than 70 upstate communities and institutions in Ulster, Orange, Putnam and Westchester counties who consume an average of 110 million gallons of drinking water daily from New York City’s water supply system. This water comes from the Catskill, Delaware, and Croton watersheds that extend more than 125 miles from the City, and the system comprises 19 reservoirs, three controlled lakes, and numerous tunnels and aqueducts. DEP has nearly 6,000 employees, including almost 1,000 scientists, engineers, surveyors, and watershed maintainers in the watershed. In addition to its $70 million payroll and $168.9 million in annual taxes paid in upstate counties, DEP has invested more than $2.7 billion in watershed protection programs—including partnership organizations such as the Catskill Watershed Corporation and the Watershed Agricultural Council—that support sustainable farming practices, environmentally sensitive economic development, and local economic opportunity. In addition, DEP has a robust capital program, with a planned $29 billion in investments over the next 10 years. For more information, visit nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.