The New York City Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) is seeking a new contract to fix leaks in the Delaware Aqueduct, north of the city. The project aims to make the final connection of a new bypass tunnel under the Hudson River, which would be the last step in the $2-billion program. 

DEP, which announced on May 5 that it is looking to restart the project, shut down the section of tunnel in October for repairs, but had to reopen it in November due to historic drought conditions. 

As a result, the existing construction contract was terminated. Faced with a new procurement, DEP now expects the final connection to complete after 2027. DEP also said the new schedule could be affected by continued concerns about lower-than-average precipitation and plans to upgrade pumps in the aqueduct.

“A new contract must take every contingency into account to ensure we meet our critical responsibility of providing the highest quality water possible to nearly 10 million New Yorkers every day, without exception,” DEP Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala said in a statement. “This final connection will allow us to continue fulfilling our vital mission for future generations.”

DEP identified leaks in the Town of Newburgh adjacent to the Hudson River in 1992. Monitoring shows that the tunnel can release more than 35 million gallons per day. The vast majority of the loss is through leaks in Newburgh, according to DEP.

In 2010, New York City announced a plan to repair leaking sections of the 85-mile Delaware Aqueduct, the longest tunnel in the world. The plan called for connecting a 2.5-mile-long bypass tunnel around Newburgh-area leaks. The new bypass, which would be connected 600 ft beneath the river’s surface, will be the first tunnel built under the Hudson since 1957, when the south tube of the Lincoln Tunnel was completed. A separate smaller leak in the Town of Wawarsing will also be repaired when the bypass connection is made, according to DEP.