City officials warn that the suburban tanks that provide 10 % of the drinking water in New York City are more salty due to contracts of salt on the roads near the system – and it will have to be abandoned in the end if nothing is done to reverse the direction.
The plug will not be withdrawn until the beginning of next century, according to a new study. But high salinity can eventually affect the famous taste of large apple water, which is sometimes called champagne for tap water, and is a challenge to the managers of a system that serves more than 9 million people.
“The conclusion of this study is that if we do not change our ways, in 2100, the water cards system becomes a pleasant entertainment attached, but it stops being water supply,” said Rohit Agarawala, the city’s environmental protection commissioner, in an interview with Associated Press. “This will directly affect everyone who drinks New York City water.”
Croton system It dates back to 1842 – When the first Croton channel began connecting water to a tank in what is now known as Park Central Manhattan – and now consists of 12 tanks and three censorship lakes north of the city.
The report found the chloride concentration – an indicator of freely – three times from 1987 to 2019 in the main tank of the system, which is about 20 miles (32 km) north of the city line. The concentrations are on the correct path to overcome the level of the maximum pollutants of the state of chloride by 2108.
The report found that salinity increases through the sprawling system of the city’s cabinets in New York State. However, the problem is much lower than a problem with Dilayer and Catskill west of Hudson River, which provides about 90 % of the city’s water. This is likely to have a much lower development in those water gatherings.
Road salt is a major engine for the increase, as well as draining the wastewater treatment plant and water applications. Millions of tons of rock salt are spread on American roads every winter as a cheap and effective way to reduce accidents.
“It is really a problem throughout the country in areas with a lot of snow,” said Shannon Robak, director of science at the Riverkeeper Environmental Group. “We have seen the high levels of salt in the water in the northeast and in the middle west and in most places that use road salt.”
Robak noted that high salt levels in drinking water constitute a set of environmental concerns and can be harmful to people with low sodium diets.
Agarawala said the city has some options.
Salt can be removed from water supply through reverse osmosis systems, though Technology is expensive and requires a lot of energy. The city can also mix Croton water with salty water less than other water gatherings. But the commissioner said that this would not be a solution to more than ten municipalities north of New York City, which attracts water from the Croton system.
City officials believe that the use of locally road salt is the most rational option. This can include persuading the local road crews and roads using salt alternatives, or plow sensors to measure the road surface temperatures, or to turn off the applications when the plows rotate U or the K.
Senator House Harkham, who represents the region, described the new, worrying report, but not surprising, given a number of community wells related to the Internet due to the high levels of chloride. Democrat is sponsoring draft laws that will address the issue of road salt, including those that will study the issue in the water gatherings in Croton.
He said: “State agencies, local governments, and everyone needs to meet in this matter, because this is a real challenge.”