The New York City Department of Environmental Protection has reached a milestone in its $1 billion effort to repair leaks in the longest tunnel in the world.
The DEP has completed excavation of the 2.5 mile Delaware Aqueduct Bypass Tunnel as part of an effort to repair two leaks in the 85-mile long Delaware Aqueduct, which typically conveys about half of New York City’s drinking water each day from reservoirs in the Catskills. The repair is the largest in the history of the New York City water supply system. The milestone occurred August 13 when the tunnel boring machine broke through a wall of shale bedrock beneath the Town of Wappinger in Dutchess County. The bypass tunnel excavation began in the Town of Newburgh, and was completed on budget and ahead of schedule toward completion of the project in 2023.