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DEP urges winter preparedness, flags AMR meter upgrades and sewer-clog costs
Summary
Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Alfonso Lopez told the Queens Borough cabinet to insulate meters and pipes ahead of winter, flagged a citywide AMR replacement program (600,000+ devices, targeting completion by 2027) and warned DEP spends about $18 million annually clearing sewer blockages caused by wipes and grease.
Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Alfonso Lopez briefed the Queens Borough cabinet on winter preparedness and utilities resilience, urging homeowners and businesses to take simple steps to prevent service disruptions and costly repairs.
"Protect your pipes, your homes, your meters from freezing," Lopez said, recommending insulation of meters and pipes, turning off outdoor faucets, removing hoses and having someone run a faucet periodically if a home will be unoccupied during cold weather.
Lopez described an AMR (automated meter reading) upgrade that DEP launched in December 2024 to replace more than 600,000 AMR devices citywide. He said staff and contractors are replacing roughly 5,000 devices a week and the program is aiming for completion in 2027; Lopez emphasized the replacements will be performed at no cost to property owners and that DEP will mail postcards and emails before work begins in a neighborhood.
On sewer backups, Lopez called attention to the boroughs ongoing clogging problems caused by non-flushable wipes and grease. He said DEP spends about $18,000,000 a year to clear and repair sewer blockages and urged a public-education approach—"trash it, dont flush it"—and targeted business outreach to reduce grease discharges.
For homeowners worried about the cost of a service-line break, Lopez recommended insurance options, naming American Water Resources (AWR) as one example and noting a typical opt-in cost appears on bills at about $20 a month; he also suggested checking homeowner policies for appropriate riders.
Lopez closed with customer-service guidance: report meter damage or service problems through the citys 311/301 channels (301 provides an official receipt number for follow-up) and email queensdep@dep.nyc.gov for escalations. He offered DEP outreach materials and pledged to coordinate business visits and educational giveaways for high-risk commercial corridors.
Questioners raised grease on Main Street Flushing and whether state-level labeling of wipes was feasible; Lopez recommended local reporting and outreach while acknowledging broader regulatory changes would require state action.
