Syracuse council hears water department brief after surge in treated-water loss and intake shutdowns

President of the Syracuse City Council Helen Hudson convened a briefing on the city’s water supply after department officials reported an abrupt winter surge in treated-water use and multiple intake shutdowns that have reduced the city’s reserves.

The city’s water commissioner told the council that water use spiked on Jan. 19–20, 2025, by about 45 million gallons a day and that the department estimates a total treated-water loss since January of between 50 million and 200 million gallons. The commissioner said the city’s normal winter daily consumption is about 36 million gallons and that treated-water reserves had fallen to about 40 million gallons — roughly one day of supply by the department’s estimate.

The spike matters because Syracuse operates under a filtration waiver from the New York State Department of Health that the commissioner said could be revoked if the system records another violation; loss of the waiver would, the administration told the council, force the city to build a filtration plant that officials have previously estimated at around $200 million.

Council members pressed the water department on where the missing water went, reporting that the department had experienced an unusually high number of main breaks starting Jan. 19–20 and continuing through winter. The commissioner described a “perfect storm” of events on March 16 — a large main break, the shutdown of Intake…