Increasing climate variability is threatening the water supply and exposing the fragility of the New York City watershed, which hosts the largest unfiltered water supply in the world.
Increasing climate variability is threatening the water supply and exposing the fragility of the New York City watershed, which hosts the largest unfiltered water supply in the world. Columbia Climate School students had the opportunity to learn about the history of this critical reservoir system—one that supplies 10 million New Yorkers with over 1 billion gallons of safe drinking water every day—on a recent field trip.
The New York City Watershed: From Community Displacement to Collaboration and Climate Adaptation, one of four practicum courses offered annually within the sustainable development program, takes students to the Catskill Mountains to learn firsthand about the reservoir system.
Students from the Undergraduate Program in Sustainable Development, the M.A. in Climate and Society and the M.S. in Sustainability Management programs traveled to the NYC watershed to hear from stakeholders who are actively involved in watershed management, environmental conservation and community advocacy in the region.
Read more at: Columbia Climate School
Ashokan Reservoir, October 2024. (Photo Credit: Agnes Laylicha, School of International and Public Affairs and Columbia Climate School)
