NYC Drinking Water Sampling Stations

I noticed a metal box on the street outside MoMA while waiting for friends earlier this year that said WSNY NYC Drinking Water Sampling Station, took a picture as I always do, and forgot all about it. This week, walking through a street in Hell’s Kitchen, I actually saw (more like noticed) three of these boxes on the same block, and then I noticed one on Sixth Avenue, so of course I had to figure out what they are all about, espeically since there is no water for any of us to sample from these.

I found what I was looking for on the NYC website, which explains that these 965 street-side drinking water sampling stations allow the City to sample water at the end point of the city’s distribution system, just before it enters the local service line that connects to our buildings. Samples are collected from these stations 365 days a year, weather notwithstanding, to be analyzed for bacteria, chlorine levels, pH, inorganic and organic compounds, turbidity, odor, and many other water quality indicators.

The sampling stations are situated so they provide representative samples of water from all distribution areas in New York City. The stations themselves rise about 4 1/2 feet above the ground and are made of heavy cast iron. Inside, a 3/4 inch copper tube feeds water from a nearby water main into the station, and each station has a spigot that is used to collect samples. They even have a video to show what is inside each of these stations –

I continue to be amazed by how much there is to learn about New York!!

#gottalovenewyork