Enter the lottery for a chance to attend a behind-the-scenes tour of the archives of the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Tours will be offered at 9:30 am and 11:00 am and last 45-60 minutes. 

New York City operates the largest municipal drinking water supply system in the world, and the history of our city would be incomplete without the story of its water supply and how it came to be. Through drawings, photographs, and textual documents, DEP’s archives describe the building of the city’s remarkable water supply and delivery systems. The story begins in the 1830s when the city tapped the Croton River and continues into the 20th century with the construction of the Catskill and Delaware supplies and City Water Tunnels 1, 2 and 3. 

On this tour of the DEP archive, visitors will view a selection of items from the archive’s diverse collections, including historical photographs, magic lantern slides, drawings, newsletters, songbooks, accident reports, publications and reports, contract specification books, and more. Archive staff will talk about the history behind the items on view. Visitors will learn how the archive actively supports DEP’s present-day operations and projects. See Out of the Archives on Flickr for a preview of the collections.

This program is part of Water Works, a new yearlong series exploring the city’s water systems and our connections to water. The series is produced with lead agency partner NYC Department of Environmental Protection and with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

• The archive is not wheelchair accessible. Visitors must climb two flights of stairs (30 steps total).
• Attendees must be 18 years of age or older and bring a photo ID.
• The archive is located in an active maintenance garage. Attendees should use caution when entering the building.
• No photos are permitted during the tour.