Water Systems Overview: New York City Department of Environmental Protection

Executive overview

Key findings

618: water main breaks in FY 2026, or 8.7 per 100 miles of main, against 359 in FY 2024 (actual)

About 13 miles: water mains replaced or reconstructed in FY 2025, against 92.6 miles in the FY 2018 reporting year (actual)

28.3%: share of water bills that were estimated in FY 2026, against 3.5% in FY 2022 (actual)

US$2,859.1 million: capital commitments in FY 2026 (preliminary actual), against a plan of US$4,840.0 million

Buyer relevance

Who the report is for

Water and wastewater contractors and engineers in New York

See which tunnels, CSO tanks and drainage programs DEP is funding, their costs as different sources state them, and their status at October 2026, from the Delaware Aqueduct to Newtown Creek.

Municipal bond investors and analysts

Follow operating revenues, expenses and long-term debt from FY 2016 to FY 2025 alongside the 2026 ratings, Fitch's leverage projection of 7.8 times in FY 2028 and the projected rate path.

Pipe, metering and network-technology suppliers

Compare main breaks, miles replaced and estimated-bill rates year by year to judge where DEP's network and meter programs stand.

Policy and regulatory teams

Map who does what among DEP, the Water Board, NYW, the City, the State Department of Health and DEC, including the Filtration Avoidance Determination renewal and the 2026 CSO Notice of Violation.

Decision scope

Questions answered

How many water main breaks did New York City have in FY 2026?

618, or 8.7 per 100 miles of main, against 359 in FY 2024.

How much water main does DEP replace each year?

About 13 miles in FY 2025, about 0.19% of its 7,000 miles, against 92.6 miles in the FY 2018 reporting year.

When will the Delaware Aqueduct be repaired?

A DEP official said in August 2026 that a new contract will be bid in 2029 and a six- to nine-month shutdown is planned for 2031 to 2032.

Is DEP delivering its capital plan?

FY 2026 commitments were US$2,859.1 million, 59.1% of the US$4,840.0 million plan; the FY 2027 plan is US$5,077.2 million.

How much are water rates rising?

The Water Board adopted a 6.0% increase for FY 2027, taking the typical single-family charge from US$1,224 to US$1,297 a year.

Inside the report

Inside the complete report

Executive Overview

1. Water Resource Profile

2. Governance and Institutional Framework

3. Infrastructure and Service Delivery

Strategic Outlook and Opportunities

Source Register

Public preview

What to watch next

Strategic Outlook and Opportunities

FY 2027 capital commitments against the US$5,077.2 million plan; the FY 2028 rate proposal (May 2027) against the 7.7% projection; a DEP schedule and procurement for the Delaware Aqueduct final connection; the renewed Filtration Avoidance Determination; Kensico-Eastview progress against the 2035 consent-decree date.

2. Governance and Institutional Framework

The Department of Health's renewed Filtration Avoidance Determination; DEC actions under the CSO Order, including further Notices of Violation; Council action on Int 0870-2026; the FY 2028 rate proposal and the rental payment request.

3. Infrastructure and Service Delivery

Main breaks and miles replaced in the next Consulting Engineer's Report and the FY 2027 Mayor's Management Report; whether estimated bills fall in FY 2027 as DEP expects; the balance of receivables more than 180 days delinquent.

1. Water Resource Profile

Storage through the 2026–27 season and any drought declaration; the Delaware Aqueduct contract schedule; City per capita demand in the next One Water NYC update.

Report page with tables of wastewater flows against design capacity, water main breaks and miles of main replaced by year, figures that differ between the Consulting Engineer's Report and the Mayor's Management Report, and service indicators for FY 2022 to FY 2026. — Sample page · page 8 of 15
Water main breaks, miles replaced and service indicators from FY 2017 to FY 2026

Included

What you receive

The complete PDF report: 15 pages, 6 sections, 18 tables and a register of 28 sources.

This edition

October 2026, First edition.

Evidence & method

Evidence and method

The New York City Water and Sewer System annual financial reports for FY 2016 to FY 2025, NYW Consulting Engineer's Reports and the Mayor's Management Reports to FY 2026. Regulatory and rate documents, including CSO Order on Consent quarterly reports, Water Board rate decisions and 2026 rating reports, with project and program statuses checked on October 29, 2026.

Sources

28 sources, listed in the report's source register. Evidence current to 29 October 2026. Principal data periods: FY 2016 to FY 2026 results (fiscal years ended June 30); calendar-year supply, demand and water quality reports to 2024; FY 2027 rates (adopted June 2026); capital plans to FY 2030; project and status checks against public sources on October 29, 2026. All currency is US dollars (US$). Figures marked "calculated" are derived in this report from the values shown..

Evidence boundaries

This report uses authoritative source material available at the stated research cutoff. It distinguishes published facts, calculated values and analytical interpretation. No independent modelling is performed. Forward-looking analysis reflects published plans, documented trends and stated uncertainties. It does not constitute legal, financial, investment or engineering advice.

Lead analyst

Robert C. Brears

Founder, Our Future Water Intelligence

Robert C. Brears is a water-security specialist and author whose work examines utility governance, infrastructure investment, climate resilience and long-term water-system change for executive and policy audiences.

Decision-focused utility intelligence
Published water-policy author
Evidence-grounded system analysis

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