AGENCY TESTIMONY
Explanation of the Filtration Avoidance Determination (FAD)
0:29:06
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71 sec
The commissioner explains the Filtration Avoidance Determination (FAD) and its significance for New York City's water supply. He describes how the FAD allows the city to avoid filtering water from certain watersheds.
- The FAD covers the Delaware and Catskill watersheds
- Water from these systems is treated with chlorine and UV light but not filtered
- The FAD relies on natural systems to keep the water clear
- The FAD is based on the city's ability to demonstrate controls against future pollution
Rohit T Aggarwala
0:29:06
These two watersheds are covered by the fad, which allows us to avoid filtering the water from these systems.
0:29:12
The water is treated with both chlorine and ultraviolet light to disinfect it, but we rely on natural systems to keep the water clear.
0:29:22
Going back to the origins of New York City's water supply in the 19th century, state law had given New York City authority to regulate certain polluting activities in the watershed to keep the water clean.
0:29:33
This gave us a head start when in 1989, the US Environmental Protection Agency promulgated the Federal Surface Water Treatment Rule.
0:29:41
The rule required all surface water supplies like New York's to be mechanically filtered unless the water supplier could demonstrate the water met certain health based criteria and that there were controls in place to protect against contamination.
0:29:54
In fact, all of New York City's water supplies, including the Croton system, met the rules health based water quality standards.
0:30:01
However, the level of development in the Croton watershed meant that DEP did not believe it would be possible to control future potential pollution.
0:30:10
As a result, DEP moved to adopt filtration for the Croton system and to seek a fad for the Catskill and Delaware systems.
