New York City buying 48 acres of prime land in Westchester to block new development in watershed
New York City is adding to its vast real estate holdings north of the Bronx with a $12-million deal for prime watershed land in Westchester County.
By making its most expensive property acquisition ever, the city's Department of Environmental Protection is trying to avoid spending billions down the road to filter the water supply.
Prime land will remain undeveloped
NYC DEP Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala, the city's chief climate officer, announced the land deal Monday atop the Kensico Dam.
Dozens of buildings could have been constructed on the 48 acres in central Westchester. Instead, the land will remain undeveloped in order to prevent more rock salt and landscaping chemicals from washing into the nearby Kensico Reservoir.
"Ninety percent of New York City's drinking water passes through this reservoir before entering our distribution system," Aggarwala said.
New York City has snapped up tens of thousands of acres north of the Bronx. It's one of the top five property tax payers in Westchester and seven other northern counties, shelling out $165 million per year.
Keeping pollutants away from water supply
The deal is all about keeping pollutants out of the water that flows to the five boroughs and much of Westchester.
"If we can't protect the Kensico through these pollution prevention measures, like purchasing strategic parcels of land, we'll be forced to filter this system as a cost of, some estimates say, $20 billion or more," said Eric Goldstein, of the Natural Resources Defense Council.
The water is so pure right now that the EPA does not require it to be filtered.
"Protecting the water at its source is by far the greenest and most affordable way to insure the future of this critical drinking water supply," Riverkeeper Executive Director Tracy Brown said.
Put plainly, the city is buying land to protect water, spending millions to avoid spending billions.