Benefits
- ✓A Good Source of Supply
- ✓A Proven Purification Process
- ✓Cost-Effective
- ✓Property Taxes
- ✓A "Clean" Tax Ratable
- ✓Business and Other Taxes
- ✓Employment
- ✓Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- ✓Environmentally Sensitive
- ✓Only for Rockland
- ✓Expandability
- ✓Service Reliability
A Good Source of Supply
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has said that “Today the Hudson River is one of the healthiest estuaries on the Atlantic Coast.”
The quality of the river's water has improved dramatically during recent decades and over a dozen communities in New York State, such as Poughkeepsie, Wappingers Falls and Rhinebeck have long drawn water from the Hudson, treated it to safe drinking water standards and distributed it to residents.
The quality of water collected in the vicinity of the proposed intake structure in the Hudson River compares well with other water treatment plant withdrawals on the Hudson River and other major rivers used for drinking water sources.
Adding a river source to the water supply in Rockland will add to the reliability and diversity of the water supply portfolio. A mature river, like the Hudson, is abundant with water. It is able to resist threatening droughts and regional climate change.
A Proven Purification Process
The Haverstraw Water Supply Project will use a proven, science-based process that starts with standard purification and filtering technologies found in water plants all over the world — including the ones already serving Rockland County.
Water that has been produced by the Project’s pilot facility, an engineering study of the most effective ways to purify Hudson River water, is of the same or higher quality than drinking water currently consumed by Rockland County residents. Many communities throughout the world are consuming purified water using the same reverse osmosis technology proposed by United Water.
Cost-Effective
United Water has a responsibility to develop water supply projects that not only provide safe and reliable drinking water, but also consider the financial impacts. The Haverstraw Water Supply Project will cost significantly less than other options, including the building of a new reservoir system, wastewater reuse or greywater.
Property Taxes
In an area of the county that has recently lost a portion of its ratable tax base, the Project would generate significant real estate tax revenues for the Town of Haverstraw, the North Rockland School District and the County of Rockland.
A “Clean” Tax Ratable
The project is a “clean” tax ratable that will have little to no impact on schools or municipal services.
Business and Other Taxes
Construction of the project would generate corporate, business, utility and numerous other taxes on the direct, indirect, and induced activity.
Employment
The Project's construction phase will directly employ skilled and semi-skilled workers, and hundreds more will be indirectly employed in industries supplying materials and services:
Approximately $113.9 million in direct expenditures in Rockland County during the construction period.
1,330 direct jobs (242 per year for 5.5 years) would be generated in Rockland County.
252 direct jobs would be generated in New York State due to engineering and permitting activities.
243 indirect jobs and 483 induced jobs would be created in Rockland County.
Approximately 120 – 150 skilled union workers at the peak of construction.
Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Subject to final design considerations, there are several aspects of the Project that serve to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions:
Detailed system design will be focused on energy efficiency. Water in the Hudson River is brackish with approximately 1/10 the salinity of seawater, which is directly proportional to the amount of energy required to run reverse osmosis (desalination) technology.
The administrative building will be designed to meet LEED energy efficiency requirements.
The majority of the Project will be phased, so that facilities would be expanded or brought on line only as needed to meet the demand for water.
Water could be withdrawn from the Hudson River continuously throughout the day or it may be withdrawn only approximately 12 hours a day, during the ebb tide, when salinity is generally lowest, reducing energy usage for pumping and desalination.
Rainwater will be harvested on-site for use as raw water. This water would have lower salinity and therefore require less energy for treatment.
Environmentally Sensitive
As the State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) lead agency on the project, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is conducting a rigorous environmental review. United Water’s team of scientists and engineers have prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) that evaluates the potential environmental impacts of the proposed project and provides comprehensive information about the project’s purpose and need, proposed plans, alternatives, and potential economic and social effects.
United Water has long proposed using wedge wire screens, considered by the EPA and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to be the best technology available to minimize the impact to aquatic life.
The construction or operation of the Project would not cause any significant adverse impacts on water quality in the Hudson River.
The brine by-product from reverse osmosis will be blended with the effluent of the nearby Haverstraw Joint Regional Sewer Treatment Plant, according to all applicable health and environmental regulations, creating a discharge to the Hudson River that will have salinity levels that are closely matched with the river. The result will not have significant adverse impacts on water quality or aquatic life.
The project will have fewer environmental impacts than other options, including building the Ambrey Pond Reservoir in Stony Point or reusing wastewater. Ambrey will require the construction of new dams, and the disruption of an established ecosystem.
Only for Rockland
The Project will benefit Rockland County customers only and will not be diverted to any other location.
Expandability
The proposed purification plant can be expanded to keep pace with future demand, providing from 2.0 million gallons of water per day to 7.5 million gallons per day of purified drinking water.
Service Reliability
The Project will allow the company to continue to provide a high-level of reliable service and maintain a historically strong service rating with its customers. The Project will enable the company to provide enough water in Rockland for drinking, bathing and fighting fires for decades to come.