Project Description

By Order of the Commission

On December 14, 2006, a New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) Order adopted a three-year rate plan for United Water New York. The Joint Proposal¹ an agreement that was signed and adopted as part of the order, requires United Water to, among other things, develop an additional, sustainable water supply to meet the growing needs for water in Rockland County over the next 20 years.

The PSC and the parties to the Joint Proposal found that it is in the best interest of United Water’s customers and for the company to develop new sources of water supply.

¹The parties to the Joint Proposal are: United Water New York, PSC Staff, the Town of Ramapo, the County of Rockland, the Rockland County Fire Chiefs, former Rockland County Legislator and now New York State Assembly Member Ellen Jaffee, and others.

A Two-Phased Approach

To meet projected future needs for water, United Water has established a two-phased approach.

Phase I, the Short-Term Water Supply program, is currently increasing capacity by continuing to encourage conservation, making improvements to existing infrastructure and developing new, small supplies. This program will help to meet projected demands for water through the end of 2015.

Phase II is designed to enable United Water to continue to provide a high-quality water supply at quantities and pressure needed to meet projected future demands for County residents, businesses, and firefighting. It will provide up to an additional 7.5 millions of gallons of water a day.

The Haverstraw Water Supply Project

United Water has worked hard to keep pace with the fast-growing demand for water in Rockland County. We have adopted comprehensive water-conservation programs, resulting in a per capita consumption that is lower than the national average. We have also gained some additional supply by improving our existing wells and expanding treatment plants. But this will not be enough to ensure a safe, reliable supply of water, particularly during future droughts.

After extensive evaluation of other options, such as wastewater reuse and the Ambrey Pond project, United Water has determined that the Hudson River is the best solution to provide a reliable, sustainable and healthy source of drinking water for the people of Rockland County. A plant that would purify water drawn from the river would help us meet future demand on the system as Rockland’s population continues to grow. United Water proposes building the Haverstraw Water Supply Project that would provide a long-term water supply solution for Rockland County.

Pilot Study to Optimize the Process

First, a small, pilot study will be conducted alongside the Hudson River in northern Rockland County. This will help us optimize the treatment processes, help determine the most cost-effective and energy-efficient methods and demonstrate the technology we would use in the water treatment plant.

The Water Treatment Project: Safe, Pure, Efficient.

Intake structure: The proposed permanent project would include a water intake pumping station that would draw water from the Hudson River and would be located on an unused piece of property owned by United States Gypsum.

Water treatment plant: Water would be piped inland to the water treatment plant that would reside on an unused piece of property adjacent to the former Haverstraw landfill. To ensure meeting future demand, this plant will be capable of producing an additional 7.5 million gallons a day of purified drinking water.

One of the key benefits of the plant is that it can be expanded to keep pace with future demand, providing from 2.0 million gallons per day (mgd) to 7.5 mgd of safe drinking water. We believe the Haverstraw Water Supply Project represents the best solution for providing a long-range supply of drinking water to Rockland County.

The treatment plant will utilize a multiple-barrier approach that starts with standard treatment and filtering technologies found in water plants all over the world – including the ones already serving Rockland County. A second type of treatment called reverse osmosis will be used to remove salt and other unwanted materials. Reverse osmosis (RO) is a process where water is pumped through a membrane with microscopic holes that filter out salt, chloride and other contaminants while letting pure water pass through it. RO membranes also remove living organisms and radionuclides, if present.

Reverse osmosis has been used in water treatment plants for decades. It is used at desalination plants around the world and provides drinking water for many large cruise ships. Recent advances in the membranes used have slashed the amount of energy required, making reverse osmosis and desalination an increasingly cost-effective way to provide drinking water. Reflecting this, in August 2008 plans for the largest desalination plant in the Western Hemisphere were approved: a $300 million plant near San Diego that will produce 50 million gallons of water a day.

Disposal: The wastewater and brine would be disposed of at the Haverstraw Joint Regional Sewage Treatment Plant, according to all applicable environmental and health regulations.