DEP Deputy Commissioner Paul Rush Retires - Public Hearings Scheduled June 24th

DELHI - New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Water Supply Deputy Commissioner Paul Rush is set to retire next week. With his retirement in sight, Rush attended a Delaware County Board of Supervisors meeting on May 27th to say farewell.

Before bringing Rush to the floor, Supervisors' Chair Tina Molé thanked Rush for 30 years of partnership. “I believe you saw solutions which made sense,” she said. Despite ongoing uncertainty about recent Filtration Avoidance Determination (FAD) negotiations regarding the City water supply permit and the changing administration, Molé noted that Rush’s efforts have laid the groundwork to help Delaware County navigate these issues.

In his speech, Rush highlighted his commitment to collaboration and dialogue between the City and Watershed towns, a theme he strove for throughout his DEP career. Rush grew up in the Catskills and believes that connection to both the City and Watershed helped guide him towards open communication. “We make decisions based on all our experiences,” he said. In conclusion, Rush introduced several of his staff members who will continue to work with Delaware County in his absence.

DEP has yet to choose a replacement for Rush, though he believes Assistant Commissioner David Warne will likely be placed as acting deputy commissioner.

In another discussion, Catskill Watershed Corporation Attorney Tim Cox provided a presentation on how and why FAD and other Watershed agreements came about. In 1986, the federal government amended the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974. Such amendments required additional regulations for municipal water supplies, including filtration. Cox explained that municipalities could be exempt from filtration requirements under certain circumstances, including controlling adverse activities within watershed zones. Municipalities could display such control through ownership or written agreements. Because filtration systems are very costly to build and operate, major cities sought exemptions. For example, NYC has one treatment plant, which costs roughly $3.5 billion to build and filters only 10% of the city's drinking water.

Cox provided two other examples of major reservoir systems in the US. San Francisco's water system is entirely protected because it is located within Yosemite National Park. Boston uses a mixed system with about 61% of its system on protected land. NYC has 41.6% of its water supply on protected land.

Rush noted that the city can keep 90% of its water unfiltered thanks to Dr. John Leal’s discovery of continuous chlorination in the early 1900s. He added that Dr. Leal is from Andes in Delaware County.

Following the presentation, Franklin Supervisor Donald Smith questioned Rush as to why the City has acquired so much land in Delaware County.

While Rush recognized the city's large land acquisition, he noted that it is most recently working to scale back that portion of the program.

Smith added that DEP seems to lag behind other systems that are not acquiring such properties, and asked whether the city would be willing to return some of the land, but the discussion shifted to another topic.

In other business, supervisors set two public hearings scheduled for 1 p.m. just prior to the next regular meeting on June 24th. The first public hearing concerns the eight-year review of agricultural district number 14, which includes Sidney, Franklin, and Meredith.

The second public hearing concerns increasing the salary of District Attorney Shawn Smith. If approved, his salary will increase by $4,500, bringing it to $225,600. Meredith Supervisor James Ellis noted the adjustment is per state requirements. Personnel Officer Carrara Knoetgen said the District Attorney's office applies for annual grants, which she believes can be used for salaries.