A US$2.5bn, 26km long water tunnel has been proposed by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
Known as the Kenisco-City tunnel, the aqueduct will transfer water from the Kenisco reservoir to a connector valve in North Bronx. It will ease a system that currently delivers 5Mm3 of water per day.
The 6m-7.5m diameter tunnel will be bored through hard rock – Manhattan Formation, Fordham Gneiss and Yonkers Gneiss – away from any know fault zones.
Hazen and Sawyer consultants are involved in the conceptual design of the tunnel, including preliminary geotechnics, routing and design. Planning and design could start in 2004, with 2009 pencilled in for the start of construction. It is hoped that the tunnel is completed by 2020.
The DEP has been studying a tunnel from Kenisco Reservoir to the City of New York since the early 1960s, and has developed several routes. Part of the planning is to evaluate routes with regard to security issues, available land and projected future customers. It is likely that, due to security concerns, the tunnel route will not be published.
The project will be financed through the New York Municipal Water Finance Authority, which is authorised to issue bonds for construction and upgrades.
