The Bloomberg administration is moving forward with an ambitious plan to remake Governors Island into a world-class park, but there's at least one small obstacle to the $260 million project: The island has no safe drinking water. A sign near a water fountain at Battery Marine Terminal in Lower Manhattan tells visitors it's "the last opportunity for free drinking water" before boarding the Governors Island ferry. Before the city can remake the island, divers are going to need to restore the water main running under the Buttermilk Channel from Brooklyn. It hasn't been used since the 1950s, and the Post reports the work will cost at least $4.5 million.
When the Coast Guard occupied the island, the military operated its own island water-filtration system, but the water was eventually deemed unsafe. There is a functioning water main that runs through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, but that water is only used for
restrooms and emergency services. It's unclear if the city will be able to fix the Buttermilk Channel water main, but if not, engineers would have to build a new one. And if that happens—are you sitting down?—the project could go over budget!
