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Excavation work completed for new Staten Island, Brooklyn water tunnel

A new, stronger connection for water transfer between Staten Island and Brooklyn is one step closer to reality.

The city announced Monday the completion of excavation work for the tunnel that’s been in the works for years. The siphon will replace two nearly century old water mains.

“This new $250 million tunnel will help to ensure that the residents of Staten Island continue to enjoy a reliable supply of high quality drinking water for decades to come,” DEP Commissioner Emily Lloyd said in a statement.

Aside from bringing 5 million gallons of water from upstate reservoirs each day, the new siphon, which constructionbegan on four years ago, will help to accommodate more vessels into New York Harbor. Most New Yorkers get their freshwater that travels through three tunnels from reservoirs 125 miles north.

Two siphons were created in 1917 and 1925 to connect the water between from Bay Ridge and Stapleton and Tompkinsville on Staten Island, but the creation of the Richmond Tunnel in 1970 resulted in those tunnels serving as backup connections.

DEP will remove the older siphons and dredge the Anchorage Channel. The city said once that waste body is deepened it will be able to handle bigger, more environmentally friendly cargo vessels and retain “nearly 300,000 jobs and $12 billion in annual wages.”