Sandhogs by Gina LeVay, Hardback Book 2009, Powerhouse Books

Sandhogs are miners 800 feet below the streets of Manhattan, tunneling bedrock to construct the largest unified infrastructure project in New York City history—the 60-mile-long City Water Tunnel #3. The future of Gotham depends on the efforts of these unseen miners, as this new water channel will supplement the two existing, decrepit tunnels, preventing a potentially catastrophic water shortage. It’s imminent completion will ensure that fresh, clean water continues to flow to every resident of the city. Excavation of CWT#3 began in 1970. For each mile tunneled, approximately one Sandhog has lost his life in a mining related accident. Generations of Sandhogs have accepted this daunting “man-a-mile” formula as part of the job, but few New Yorkers know about this mammoth excavation—or the story of the Sandhogs themselves.