Lake Gleneida Local Place for Statewide Reservoir Clean-Up Day

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today announced that it will team up with school groups, business leaders, local nonprofits and citizens across the watershed to remove litter and debris from public recreation areas at six reservoirs in the Catskills and Hudson Valley. Dozens of volunteers will participate in Reservoir Cleanup Day on Oct. 5 to remove litter and recyclables from areas that are generally used for fishing and boating access. The effort is co-sponsored by the Catskill Watershed Corporation, which will provide gloves and bags for the volunteers.

The event is among dozens happening across the state as part of the American Littoral Society’s annual New York State Beach Cleanup, which organizes volunteers to remove debris from beaches, lakes and other popular bodies of water. DEP is among the government agencies, businesses and foundations that sponsor the statewide effort. In 2013, the New York State Beach Cleanup included more than 6,000 volunteers who removed some 80 tons of debris from 174 miles of shorelines across the state.

“I would like to thank the dozens of volunteers who are dedicating their time and effort to the cleanup at six of our reservoirs,” DEP Commissioner Emily Lloyd said. “Events such as this help strengthen the spirit of partnership and volunteerism among DEP and its watershed neighbors. Cleaning the public access areas around the reservoirs will keep the shorelines and forests pristine, and continue to protect the drinking water for 9.4 million New Yorkers.”

Those who wish to volunteer can also reach out to DEP by calling (800) 575-LAND or by emailingrecreation@dep.nyc.gov. All volunteers will meet at central locations designated for each reservoir.

Lake Gleneida: The cleanup will be led by the Carmel Civic Association. Volunteers will meet on Oct. 4 at 10:30 a.m. at the clearing along Route 6 just south of the hamlet of Carmel.

At each site, DEP and volunteers will keep a tally of the kind and quantity of debris that is collected throughout the day. Data will be reported back to the American Littoral Society at the end of the event.

DEP manages New York City’s water supply, providing more than one billion gallons of high quality water each day to more than 9 million New Yorkers. This includes more than 70 upstate communities and institutions in Ulster, Orange, Putnam and Westchester counties who consume an average of 110 million total gallons of drinking water daily from New York City’s water supply system.

PHOTO: Lake Gleneida. Attribution: ​English Wikipedia user Daniel Case