NYC Department of Environmental Protection Encourages College Students to Apply for Watershed Internships

Fifteen Watershed Internships Available for Engineering and Sciences

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on Thursday encouraged college students to apply for one of 15 summer internships at offices throughout the watershed. These paid internships are in fields related to science and engineering. Those accepted into the summer internship program will have the chance to work alongside DEP scientists, engineers, planners and other professionals who operate, maintain and protect the largest municipal water supply in the United States.

“Our summer internships in the watershed offer unique opportunities to work alongside experts who oversee a marvel of modern engineering—the New York City water supply system,” DEP Acting Commissioner Vincent Sapienza said. “DEP hopes the internship program inspires young people to pursue a career that focuses on protecting public health and the environment. I encourage college students from the watershed and surrounding regions to apply for these excellent learning opportunities.”

The intern positions available include summer work associated with upstate water quality laboratories, water quality field operations, engineering, community water connections, water system modeling, natural resources, and science and research. The internships are located at DEP’s offices in Delaware, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester counties. In addition to the watershed opportunities, DEP also offers summer internships at its offices in New York City.

Information about these internships, including online applications, can be found on the DEP website.
Prospective interns are encouraged to carefully read the qualifications for each job to determine whether they meet the enrollment, GPA, coursework and other requirements. Candidates must submit applications by April 7.

DEP manages New York City’s water supply, providing more than 1 billion gallons of high-quality water each day to more than 9.5 million New Yorkers. This includes more than 70 upstate communities and institutions in Ulster, Orange, Putnam and Westchester counties who consume an average of 110 million total gallons of drinking water daily from New York City’s water supply system. This water comes from the Catskill, Delaware, and Croton watersheds that extend more than 125 miles from the City, and the system comprises 19 reservoirs, three controlled lakes, and numerous tunnels and aqueducts. DEP has nearly 6,000 employees, including almost 1,000 scientists, engineers, surveyors, watershed maintainers and other professionals in the watershed. In addition to its $70 million payroll and $166 million in annual taxes paid in upstate counties, DEP has invested more than $1.7 billion in watershed protection programs—including partnership organizations such as the Catskill Watershed Corporation and the Watershed Agricultural Council—that support sustainable farming practices, environmentally sensitive economic development, and local economic opportunity. In addition, DEP has a robust capital program with $20.7 billion in investments planned over the next 10 years that will create up to 3,000 construction-related jobs per year