Waterfowl Management Program Building
NYC Department of Environmental Protection
Valhalla, NY
Ongoing
More than 90 percent (up to 2 billion gallons per day) of New York City’s water supply is from the upstate Catskill and Delaware watersheds. The Catskill and Delaware Aqueducts currently convey water by gravity from these upstate watersheds to Kensico Reservoir, which is one of the last stops for water flowing from upstate reservoirs and plays a critical role in delivering high quality drinking water to consumers in New York City.
The management of waterbird populations at key reservoirs throughout the New York City Water Supply is essential to meet stringent water quality regulations. As a result, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection developed and implemented a comprehensive Watershed Protection Program to protect its water supply. One component of the Watershed Protection Plan is DEP’s Waterfowl Management Program. It was established to research and manage the relationship between wildlife, particularly waterbirds, that inhabit the reservoirs and fecal coliform bacteria elevations in the untreated and treated surface water.
After outgrowing their existing operations housed in a trailer on-site, the Waterfowl Management Program will be housed in a new building. The program of the building will address needed office spaces, break room, restrooms and showers, as well as a variety of storage spaces. There is also a workshop for maintenance, and an attached pull-thru boat wash. The building is designed in a simple linear layout, running parallel to the shore, and with a full-length porch along the water side. The design of the structure emphasizes the importance of unrestricted views of the reservoir – an important part of the program – while also naturally directing rainwater away from the watershed. On the backside of the structure, the masonry façade anchors the structure while referencing the material palette of the rest of the campus as well as the original Kensico Dam.
Awarded NYC Public Design Commission’s 2021 Award for Excellence in Design.