Photographer Stanley Greenberg has dedicated decades to documenting New York City's vast and largely invisible water system, bringing attention to one of the city's most impressive yet overlooked pieces of infrastructure. His book "Waterworks: The Hidden Water System of New York," originally published in 2003, has been re-issued and expanded, offering New Yorkers a rare glimpse into the complex network that delivers some of the world's cleanest tap water to millions of people.

While New York City is famous for its iconic infrastructure like Central Park, the Brooklyn and Verrazzano-Narrows Bridges, and even Robert Moses's controversial roadways that displaced many communities of color, the water system remains surprisingly unknown to the public. The physical structures sit largely out of view, familiar mainly to those living or hiking near reservoirs far from Manhattan's grid. Yet this system serves not only millions in the five boroughs but also over a million people in Westchester, Putnam, Orange, and Ulster counties.

Greenberg, a native New Yorker who grew up in Flatlands, Brooklyn, discovered his passion for the water system while working at the Department of Cultural Affairs in the 1980s. He learned that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) had an archive, parts of which were being neglected or discarded. Along with another artist and Cooper Union students, Greenberg helped catalog this vital record, an experience that inspired him to expand his photography practice to include the city's water infrastructure.

The photographer's black and white images capture both epic scope and quiet street scenes that hint at the complex operations beneath the surface. His work includes dramatic shots of facilities like the Spillway at Neversink Reservoir in Sullivan County and the New Croton Dam in Westchester County. The expanded edition includes new additions such as the digester eggs at Greenpoint's Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, helping readers understand the complete water cycle from delivery to treatment.

During a recent interview in his Gowanus studio, Greenberg explained how New York's water treatment infrastructure evolved significantly after the 1972 Clean Water Act. Early treatment plants were built in Coney Island, but pollution had already caused the disappearance of local oysters. The federal legislation required extensive upgrades, leading to the construction of facilities like North River, upgrades to Newtown Creek and Owls Head, and the Red Hook Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility in the Navy Yard.

Greenberg's access to photograph the water system has been limited since September 11, 2001, with security threats cited as the reason. The DEP also restricts public access and doesn't readily reveal what many sites are. If given the chance to meet with the city's next DEP commissioner, Greenberg says he would advocate for greater public access so people feel more connected to these systems they collectively own. He also hopes to photograph Tunnel No. 1 when it's shut down for maintenance once Tunnel No. 3 becomes fully operational, marking a historic moment in the largest construction project in NYC history that began in 1970.

Taking a DIY approach to public education, Greenberg has started posting pictures and information from his work at the actual locations where they were photographed. He's created a Google map to serve as a field guide, hoping to make people more aware of water infrastructure and the urban landscape around them. His goal is simple but profound: "If you start to see the city differently then I've done my job."

Greenberg, who has exhibited extensively and published several books including "Springs and Wells, Manhattan and the Bronx" in 2021, believes his work is particularly relevant today. With federal environmental protections under threat and government accountability being undermined, his documentation serves as a reminder of why functioning, accountable government matters. The book highlights how essential public infrastructure requires both public understanding and support to maintain the high standards that keep New York's water among the world's best.

"Waterworks: The Hidden Water System of New York" is published in a limited edition by Kris Graves Projects and is available online, offering readers a comprehensive look at the hidden network that keeps America's largest city hydrated.