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

Paid internships link college students with engineers and scientists to work on nation’s largest municipal water supply

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is encouraging college students to apply for one of 17 summer internships at its offices in the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains. 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.

“Summer internships at DEP can be a springboard to the start of a rewarding career for young people who are interested in science, engineering and public service,” said DEP Commissioner Vincent Sapienza, who started his career more than 30 years ago as an intern at the department. “Our interns in the watershed will be guided by world-class experts to pursue projects that focus on water quality testing, infrastructure planning, and operating the largest municipal water supply in the United States. We 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 system modeling and research, natural resources management, wastewater collection and treatment, infrastructure planning, and reservoir operations. The internships are located at DEP’s offices in Delaware, Greene, Putnam, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester counties. In addition to the watershed opportunities, DEP also offers many summer internship opportunities 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 6.

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 $18.9 billion in investments planned over the next decade that will create up to 3,000 construction-related jobs per year. For more information, visit nyc.gov/dep.