New York City has spent nine years working to replace a leaking section of the Delaware Aqueduct.
A long-planned temporary shutdown of a leaking aqueduct that supplies about half ofdrinking water will be pushed back a year, giving officials more time to prepare for the monthslong closure.
"We want to make sure that everything is spot on, ready to go," said Paul Rush, deputy commissioner for the city’s Department of Environmental Protection. Built mostly during World War II, the Delaware Aqueduct carries about 600 million gallons a day, entirely by gravity, from four Catskill Mountain region reservoirs to a holding reservoir north of the city.
Rush said the extra time will give the city time to test two pumping stations north of the city. Also, the Croton Filtration Plant in the Bronx is being connected to a third city water supply tunnel, and engineers want times to test the performance new configuration.