Season 2 Episode 16:
The Marvel of Moving Water to NYC
with Adam Bosch
New York City’s water supply system is the largest municipal water supply system in the United States. This modern marvel of engineering consists of 19 reservoirs and 3 lakes that store 570 billion gallons of water when full, delivering that water through 400 miles of aqueducts to 8.5 million people in New York City and another 1 million people in 72 communities throughout the Hudson Valley – by gravity alone. This system shaped the design of older neighborhoods in New York City – the powerful force of gravity was capable of sending water to the 4th, 5th, even the 6th floors of those buildings, so that’s how high they were built until the advent of strong electric pumps which could push the water to even higher heights. This system is also the largest unfiltered water system in the country, which means it’s a priority to protect the quality of the water at the source, delivering it clean to the 9.5 million people who depend on it everyday.
This week’s episode features Adam Bosch, Director of Public Affairs at the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, discussing this powerful system, water quantity and water quality, as well as the jobs that support this incredible water supply.
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Adam Bosch is director of public affairs for the New York City water supply. He manages DEP’s efforts to educate the public about the largest municipal water supply in the United States through community outreach, education programs, and regular communication with local elected officials and journalists. Before he began working for New York City, Bosch was a journalist in New York for more than a decade. His reporting was published in the Times Herald-Record, The New York Times, Scientific American Magazine and other publications. His work in journalism earned six awards from the Associated Press for investigative reporting, depth reporting, and breaking news coverage. Bosch was also vice president of research and communications at Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress, based in Newburgh. Bosch earned his bachelor’s degree from SUNY New Paltz, where he also taught as an adjunct professor for 10 years. He earned his master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.
