ABSTRACT
Somewhat surprisingly, New York City has a reputation for high-quality tap water, enough so that it has been bottled and commercially sold in the past.1 The city draws its water largely from the famed Catskills Mountains, an area that lies 100 miles north of Manhattan. Largely forested and sparsely populated with farms and small communities, this area comprises 1,600 square miles and embodies two watersheds, the Delaware and the Catskills. The area operates as a large basin capturing the falling precipitation as it slowly flows into the public reservoirs and eventually to the city’s nine million customers. Due to the absence of development in the region, the water requires only minimal treatment, the primary reason for its untainted taste and reputation for quality.
