28th Annual Water Resources Art & Poetry Contest

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Published on February 08, 2014, 5:54 pm
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New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Carter Strickland today announced the start of the 28th annual Water Resources Art and Poetry Contest.

Second through twelfth grade students attending public, independent, charter, and parochial schools (or who are home-schooled) in New York City and in the East and West of Hudson watersheds are invited to create original art and compose poetry that reflects an appreciation for our shared water resources. Entries will be accepted until March 1, 2014 and may be submitted online, by mail, or delivered to DEP Headquarters. Entries submitted by mail or delivered must be 22″ x 28″ or smaller and have a completed entry form attached securely on the back. This year’s contest will also accept digital art and videos. An award ceremony honoring all student participants will take place in May.

“The Water Resource Art and Poetry Contest is a great way to educate youngsters about the network of reservoirs and protected lands that supply clean and healthy drinking water to more than half the state’s population and the wastewater infrastructure that has helped us reconnect with our waterways and waterfront,” said Commissioner Strickland. “Hundreds of students in New York City and watershed communities participate each year and their creativity and enthusiasm for learning about our shared water resources is creating a tradition of environmental stewardship that will span generations.”

Last year, more than 900 New York City and Watershed students from more than 50 schools submitted artwork and poems about NYC Water. In May, 2013, they were honored at an awards ceremony at Tribeca Performing Arts Center at Borough of Manhattan Community College where their artwork and poems were displayed. For this year’s contest, teachers, parents and students can visit here to view the contest guidelines, submit entries online, see past winners, and learn about NYC Water.

DEP’s Water Resources Art and Poetry program helps raise awareness about the importance of clean, high-quality drinking water, and what it takes to maintain New York City’s water supply and wastewater treatment systems. The 2014 contest will focus on four central themes:

Ø  Water-A Precious Resource: To highlight the importance of the quality of our tap and harbor water.

Ø  The New York City Water Supply System: To understand the history of the NYC drinking water system.

Ø  The New York City Wastewater Treatment System: To examine how the City treats nearly 1.3 billion gallons of wastewater every day.

Ø  Water Stewardship: What Can I do to Help Conserve Water? To bring attention to the value of water and ways to conserve it, and the NYC Green Infrastructure Plan as a cost-effective way to manage stormwater and ensure a clean NYC harbor.

Entries will be judged based on creativity in interpreting one or more of the contest themes, accuracy of information, originality, and skill. An impartial panel of judges will review the entries and select one art and one poetry winner from each category (grades 2-3, 4-6, 7-8, and 9-12).

 

About DEP:

DEP manages New York City’s water supply, providing more than one billion gallons of water each day to more than nine million residents, including eight million in New York City. The water is delivered from a watershed that extends more than 125 miles from the city, comprising 19 reservoirs and three controlled lakes. Approximately 7,000 miles of water mains, tunnels and aqueducts bring water to homes and businesses throughout the five boroughs, and 7,500 miles of sewer lines and 96 pump stations take wastewater to 14 in-city treatment plants. DEP has nearly 6,000 employees, including almost 1,000 in the upstate watershed. In addition, DEP has a robust capital program, with a planned $14 billion in investments over the next 10 years that will create up to 3,000 construction-related jobs per year. This capital program is responsible for critical projects like City Water Tunnel No. 3; the Staten Island Bluebelt program, an ecologically sound and cost-effective stormwater management system; the city’s Watershed Protection Program, which protects sensitive lands upstate near the city’s reservoirs in order to maintain their high water quality; and the installation of more than 820,000 Automated Meter Reading devices, which will allow customers to track their daily water use, more easily manage their accounts and be alerted to potential leaks on their properties. For more information, please visit here.

 

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