I could buy a bottle of water from some cooler-hauling huckster on the streets of Manhattan for $1, but then I would be missing out on the infrastructural marvel that is New York’s clean tap water. 

The water comes out clear with large bubbles that dissipate quickly. But there is not much air left in the water after five seconds. On the first sip, it is soft and light on the tongue. The flavor is as close to neutral as you get. It is the absence of flavor that we expect out of water. It has a ghost of sweetness and earthiness, but this is only the most subtle note. The water, in a past life, may have touched vegetation. I enjoy breathing over my tongue after I swallow the water. It has a smooth after effect. Easy to drink and enjoyable. 

And all of the millions of residents and visitors to New York City can share in this experience! The fact that this city can furnish hygienic and potable water to so many people, while being surrounded by the ocean, is remarkable–especially because it hasn’t always been that way. 

For a decent chunk of New York City’s history, water sanitation and drinking water supply have been major issues. James Salzman’s Drinking Water: A History begins its section on New York City by saying “Ever since Peter Minuit’s celebrated purchase of Manhattan from the natives for beads and trinkets in 1626, the island has faced challenges of ensuring adequate drinking water.”

Much has been written about the history of New York City’s water supply, so a gloss is all that is needed. Salzman traces the history from Dutch settlement when rainwater basins were used, to the early Dutch Kalch-Hook spring pond that lies somewhere beneath downtown Manhattan near Chambers and Canal Streets. 

When the British sailed on New Amsterdam and put the port city under siege, the lack of drinking water forced the Dutch to surrender quickly. The British built some wells and local private wells built by neighborhood subscription became popular. By the Revolutionary War, the downtown fresh water spring was filthy, so New Yorkers relied on “Tea Water” carted from private pumps for a fee. Next, Alexander Hamilton and his eventual killer, Aaron Burr, convinced the city to give a private water interest broad legal authority. The Manhattan Company was born, but it was really a bank that did not provide adequate clean water (that bank is now JP Morgan Chase.) 

Finally, the Board of Water Commissioners was formed and developed a public water supply in the Croton Watershed. The new system was completed in 1842 with celebration from the public. Before long, the city managed to build public infrastructure extracting water from the Catskills and Delaware watershed. These three watersheds, the Croton, Catskills, and Delaware, are still in use today. 

After over a century of use, and considerable urban growth, New York City signed its New York City Watershed Memorandum of Agreement in 1997 which laid out a sustainable plan for upstate and downstate collaboration on clean water. Long-sightedness is necessary to continue quenching the city’s thirsts as upstate sees more development and increased threats from pollutants. New York City treated its water, but did not filter it, due to clarity. But most recommendations suggest investing in filtration is necessary for a cleaner future when researchers know more about pollutants and human health. 

Thousands of miles of pipes bring billions of gallons of water to New York faucets every day. The pipes from upstate reservoirs are massive aqueducts of fantastical proportions. It is a quiet engineering marvel. 

Sure, the water may not have much flavor, but in relation to the dirty and noxious water of New York before 1842, it is pleasant to know that millions of people can safely stay hydrated.