Public Employee Press

ON THE JOB FOR NYC
Upstate cyber team protects city water

By GREGORY N. HEIRES

Out of the public eye, a team of computer workers at a Dept. of Environment Protection office in Kingston, N.Y., plays a crucial role in protecting the safety of New Yorkers’ drinking water.

The Local 2627 members have helped develop a software application, known as WaLIS, which tracks information about the 125,000 acres of upstate watershed lands owned by New York City to keep pollutants from the water supply.

The 85-mile-long Delaware Aqueduct that brings New York City its tap water is the longest tunnel in the world. The watershed system, which provides 1.1 billion gallons of fresh, clean water each day to city residents, includes 19 reservoirs and more than 6,000 miles of pipes, aqueducts and tunnels.

The WaLIS software application is part of DEP’s Geographic Information System, which helps the agency’s Water Bureau protect the water supply in the watershed.

“Our mission is to provide clean drinking water for New York City,” said Jonathan Tuscanes, a Geographic Information Specialist.

Protecting the watershed

The work of the Local 2627 members helps the DEP meet an agreement between the city and federal government reached years ago. The agreement allowed the city to stick with its gravity-based natural filtration system instead of building an expensive filtration plants. The pact requires the city to acquire millions of dollars worth of upstate land to protect the quality of the water entering the reservoirs.

Joe Giannelli, a Computer Associate (Software) 3, worked with a consultant to develop WaLIS, which is used to study geographical data and create maps. By carefully tracking watershed parcels, it provides crucial information for the land acquisition program, and the software helps DEP analysts make decisions about how to protect the watershed environment.

Through their technical expertise, Local 2627 members are boosting efficiency at the DEP.

“Our members are helping bring DEP into the information age,” said Local 2627 President Robert D. Ajaye.

Today, thousands of water samples are fed by hand into a database and reports can take weeks to generate. Computer Associate (Software) 1 Brian O’Malley is helping computerize DEP’s water sample gathering.

Once the new information system is in place, the readings of field workers will be automatically uploaded to a database. The system will allow for quick analysis of data, and it will be used for routine reports and analysis.

“What I am implementing will help ensure that the water stays pure as it travels through the watershed,” O’Malley said.