Ancient Offshore Aquifer Near Northeast Coast Could Back NYC Water Supply for Centuries

Researchers confirmed a large, low-salinity offshore freshwater reservoir beneath the U.S. Atlantic shelf, formed by glacial meltwater about 20,000 years ago. While not yet exploitable and facing legal, environmental, and engineering hurdles, the discovery highlights offshore groundwater as a potential long-term resource for coastal cities like New York City, should future technologies and policies enable sustainable use.