Status of the NYCDEP Land Acquisition Program – NYCDEP has fee title ownership of 78,298 acres in Delaware County. In addition to fee simple ownership there are 43,579 eased acres in the form of Agricultural, forest and conservation easements which are controlled by NYCDEP. With the addition of the 33,041 Pre - MOA acres owned adjacent to the reservoirs, the total rises to 154,918 acres. The total acreage in the NYC Watershed within Delaware County is 503,005 acres. NYCDEP controls nearly 30 % of the land area in the watershed within Delaware County.

Recent negotiations centered around the renewal of the Water Withdrawal Permit (WWP) produced some good news for many county residents. NYCDEP has made the proclamation that they will not purchase lands in the West of Hudson Watershed that fall within NYCDEP’s priority areas 3 & 4. A map of the priority areas can be found below.

Shelly Johnson-Bennett - Commissioner

Nicholas P. Carbone – Director of Watershed Affairs