New York City Water Board

Like many large cities, the entirety of New York City’s water and sewer infrastructure is funded by revenue it collects through water and sewer rates. The New York City Water Board is responsible for setting these rates, and must ensure that they are able to fund the entirety of the water and sewer system’s operating and capital needs. This includes salaries and benefits for more than 6,000 City employees, as well as major initiatives like the ongoing construction of Water Tunnel No. 3, the construction of a filtration plant for the City’s Croton system and significant upgrades and repairs to treatment plants, sewers, and other water infrastructure, all of which enable the City to provide clean, safe water to New Yorkers for decades to come and ensure that the health of the City’s waterways continues to improve. Board members are appointed to two-year terms by the Mayor, and in addition to establishing rates that provide sufficient revenue to operate and maintain the water and sewer system, strive to set rates that are equitable and fair, that encourage conservation, and that are easily understood by the City’s water and sewer customers.