The Delaware County Board of Supervisors authorized an agreement with New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection to renew watershed protection programs on Tuesday, Nov. 25
Following about four years of negotiation, the two bodies reached an intergovernmental agreement to renew septic and wastewater upgrade support, reinforce stream management and agriculture programs and put land conservation at the forefront, according to an announcement posted to the county government Facebook page.
The agreement additionally helps create opportunities for renewable energy and cell service improvements while establishing a “framework for responsible growth and strong water protection,” the post stated.
Board chairperson and Bovina Town Supervisor Tina Molé said Tuesday she wanted to “really stress the significance of this agreement,” especially as the county moves into a “new era of watershed protection.”
“As we all know, 2026 will bring many changes, including the new administration in New York City, and along with it, some uncertainty, making this renewed commitment to our partnership even more important today,” Molé said.
According to the resolution passed by the board, the “mitigation side agreement” maintained that the city must continue funding certain existing watershed protection programs “under specified conditions” and establishing additional funds for new programs and initiatives.
The resolution added that the city is committed to limiting land acquisition activities in the West of Hudson Watershed.
Shelly Johnson-Bennett, director of the Delaware County Planning Department, said at the meeting that the agreement would preserve “a number of our important partnership programs” and establishes a commitment to “engage in a more focused land acquisition program that is directed toward water quality protection.”
NYCDEP Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala said this is not technically a side agreement, but an intergovernmental agreement. He said “all partnerships are a shared journey.”
“One of the things we need to do as an organization is ensure that we are thinking about the economic vitality here because that is our staff as well as your constituents,” Aggarwala said.
“We are also in need of ensuring that you all have an economy that you are comfortable with because that means you will be comfortable with our presence and you will be comfortable with the additional burdens that we know that protecting the source waters requires,” he continued.
At the board’s Wednesday, Sept. 25 meeting, the county passed a resolution advocating for the protection of local watershed programs funded through the state permit allowing the city to own land in the county containing the city’s water supply, according to Daily Star archives.
The permit, which expires this year and went into effect in 2010, allows the city to purchase land outside its municipality. Jason Merwin, the executive director of the Catskill Watershed Corporation said in September that the city does not filter its own water and has to prove it can keep its water clean at the source.
This is based in the Catskills and a large portion of Delaware County, Merwin added. It also has to establish cooperation from local stakeholders.
Molé said negotiations began about four years ago, as the county looked to obtain a balance between watershed programs, growing costs, National Academy of Sciences recommendations and a “desire to create a new water supply permit that met the changing needs of the watershed.”
She added that conversations between stakeholders, including New York City, were not easy and at one point, caused a pause in negotiations. She said in “recent months, we found our way back to the table.”
Johnson-Bennett said the main goal in these efforts was to “follow the science.” She added that this is a “living relationship,” with negotiations to continue in the future for programs that make the most sense for stakeholders.
“The city has been very helpful in looking at these programs and understanding our concerns and has taken great strides in ensuring we are protecting and preserving the programs that are most essential to our vitality but also allows us to be better stewards of their watershed so that we can continue to provide water to the 9 million users downstate,” Johnson-Bennett said.
Next steps, Molé said, would be to work with the state Department of Environmental Conservation to “modify the recently renewed water supply permit to reflect this agreement” and get ready for the next filtration avoidance determination negotiation.