NYC Watershed > Protection

Protection

Ashokan Reservoir

Photo: Leah Rae / Riverkeeper

Riverkeeper believes that access to clean, affordable drinking water must be a human right. In the interest of protecting human health and preserving freshwater ecosystems, filtration of public drinking water supplies should be considered as a last resort to be employed only when an unfiltered water supply poses an imminent threat to public health. Sound watershed protection programs not only safeguard human health and aquatic life but also are vastly more economical than filtration.

Learn more about safeguarding drinking water

  • What You Can DoKeeping Your Watershed Clean

  • 1997 Watershed Agreement

  • Safe Drinking Water Act

  • Filtration Avoidance Determination (FAD)

  • New Watershed Regulations

  • Watershed Protection Budget