Catskills Film Screening Sparks Debate Over NYC Water, Energy, and Land Use

ONEONTA — A nearly sold-out public screening in Oneonta is drawing attention for tackling a subject most New Yorkers have never been told is changing: a shift in how New York City plans to use the Catskills once water filtration becomes inevitable.

On January 17, the New York Energy Alliance will host the world premiere of Unfiltered: New York’s Watershed Battle at the Foothills Performing Arts & Civic Center in Oneonta, followed by a live, in-person discussion on water, energy, land use, and who ultimately bears the cost of New York City’s infrastructure decisions.

Organizers say the response reflects pent-up concern about a recently negotiated agreement between New York City and Delaware County that quietly opens city-owned watershed land to renewable energy development.

“For more than a century, the Catskills were told development had to be frozen to protect New York City’s drinking water,” said Alex Panagiotopoulos, founder of the New York Energy Alliance. “Now the city is preparing for filtration, and at the same time repositioning that same land as a renewable energy asset.”

The film traces how New York City avoided building a filtration plant by purchasing and controlling hundreds of thousands of acres upstate, an arrangement that prevented population growth and economic development across the region. 

According to the film and supporting research, city agencies are now planning for solar, battery storage, and future transmission infrastructure on land once considered too sensitive to touch.

That transition has already stirred debate.

Environmental groups were notably excluded from recent watershed negotiations. Local leaders were assured renewable projects would be “community-scale,” yet no binding acreage limits or land-clearing caps were written into the final agreement. At the same time, Albany is advancing long-range transmission planning that could move large amounts of power from upstate generation zones to downstate load centers.

“The history that we're uncovering shows that these shifts begin quietly, and take decades for the consequences to be fully realized,” Panagiotopoulos said. “If filtration is coming anyway, the Catskills deserve a real conversation about what comes next, before decisions are locked in.”

The screening will be followed by a moderated discussion and audience Q&A focused on land use, grid reliability, transparency, and whether upstate communities will once again be asked to absorb the physical costs of New York City’s growth without getting to determine their own future.

Event Details

Catskills Energy Future

World Premiere Screening: Unfiltered: New York’s Watershed Battle

January 17, 2026 | 2 to 5 PM

Foothills Performing Arts & Civic Center

Tickets: $12.50 (limited availability)