Source of Supply
In general, the sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells.  As water travels over the surface of the landor through the ground, it dissolves naturally-occurring minerals and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activities.  Contaminants that may be present in source water include:  microbial contaminants; inorganic contaminants; pesticides and herbicides; organic chemical contaminants; and radioactive contaminants.  In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the New York State Health Department (NYSDOH) and the EPA prescribe regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems.  The NYSDOH's and the FDA's regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health.

Our water supply is obtained from the Catskill and Delaware watersheds of  the New York City water system.  Connections to the City system are maintained at Shaft 22 of the Delaware Aqueduct in Yonkers and at Rye Lake, the eastern portion of Kensico Reservoir, in Harrison.  The water furnished from Shaft 22 is a blend of water from the Catskill and Delaware watersheds.  The water taken from Rye Lake is, under most circumstances, from the Delaware watershed.

Source Water Assessment Program
The NYSDOH has evaluated the susceptibility of water supplies statewide to potential contamination under the Source Water Assessment Program (SWAP), and their findings are summarized in the paragraph(s) below.  It is important to stress that these assessments were created using available information and only estimate the potential for source water contamination.  Elevated susceptibility ratings do not mean that source water contamination has or will occur for the WJWW.  The WJWW provides treatment and regular monitoring to ensure the water delivered to consumers meets all applicable standards.

New York City Watershed
The WJWW obtains its water from the New York City water supply system.  The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) implements a series of programs to evaluate and protect source water quality within these watersheds.  Their efforts focus on three important program areas:  the enforcement of strengthened Watershed Rules and Regulations; the acquisition and protection of watershed lands; and implementation partnership programs that target specific sources of pollution in the watersheds.

Due to these intensive efforts, the SWAP methodologies applied to the rest of the state were not applied for the WJWW.  Additional information on the water quality and protection efforts in these New York City watersheds can be found at DEP's web site www.nyc.gov/dep/watershed.

Specifically, the WJWW obtains its water from the Catskill/Delaware watersheds of the Hudson.  The reservoirs in this mountainous rural area are relatively deep with little development along their shorelines.  The main water quality concerns associated with land cover is agriculture, which can contribute microbial contaminants, pesticides, and algae producing nutrients.  There are also some potential contamination concerns associated with residential lands and associated wastewater discharges.  However, advanced treatments which reduce contaminants are in place for most of these discharges.  There are also a number of other discrete facilities, such as landfills, chemical bulk storages, etc. that have the potential to impact local water quality, but large significant water quality problems associated with these facilities are unlikely due to the size of the watershed and surveillance and management practices.

Summary
Although surface waters in general are highly sensitive to microbial contaminants, NYSDOH's assessment found no noteworthy risks to water quality.