Photo by Christina Medved

Twelve students spent their summer break hiking, canoeing, and boating their way from the Catskill Mountains to New York City.  Why?  Because they wanted to tell the citizens of New York City about the incredible journey water takes before it reaches their tap.

Did you know that water flowing out of New York City's tap has taken over a 100-mile journey to get to there?

Did you know that 2007 marks a 10-year anniversary of an agreement between upstate communities and New York City to work together to protect the land and the streams that are the drinking water source for 9 million people?

Did you know New York City's drinking water ranks among the best tasting of major cities throughout the world?

This trek involved much more than 12 high school students taking a 3-week tour.  These students became the agents for educating the public about the source and protection of this drinking water supply and the vital and little-recognized connections between the city and the upstate communities.

If you answered no to the three questions above, get ready to learn more.

In spring of 2007, six students from New York Harbor School in Brooklyn and six students from Sidney High School, in Delaware County, prepared for their 3-week summer trek tracing New York City's drinking water supply.  They learned how  to become spokespeople for the water-supply system and they brought public attention to the 10^th Anniversary of the Memorandum of Agreement, which brought together, for the first time in a long and bitter history, all the stakeholders in the system. During their preparation, the students met with lawyers, scientists, conservationists, park rangers, and local officials to prepare them for what they encountered on their trek.  Throughout the 3-week trek, the students assessed the quality of the water in streams, rivers and reservoirs, talked to public officials and hosted press conferences to share with the public, from the trenches, what they learned. 

You can follow their trek online and read the students' daily journal entries.  And if you will be in the New York City area in early 2008, stop by and see the exhibit of their photographs and journal entries.