New York's water system

urban projects water tunnel

New York City imports most of its water from the Catskill Mountain region, some 100 miles to the northwest. Nearly a billion gallons a day is piped via a series of reservoirs, aqueducts and tunnels in what's become one of the largest water supply systems in the world.

''The sheer amount they are moving is incredible," said John Kjorstad, an infrastructure expert at the consultancy KPMG. "And people rave about how good it is."

Recent additions to the system include construction of ultraviolet disinfection plants and ongoing work on a $5 billion, 24-foot wide tunnel (pictured here) to carry the water on its final leg of the journey -- the largest capital improvement project in the city's history.

First published October 7, 2014: 7:10 AM ET
Source: New York City Department of Environmental Protection

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