Company files plan with New York State Public Service Commission

Last Updated on Friday, 20 March 2009 18:48 Written by Administrator Tuesday, 16 January 2007 22:30

United Water to Build $79 Million Desalination Plant On Hudson River to Meet County's Long Term Water Supply Requirements

WEST NYACK, NY, 1/16/2007 11:54:49 AM – Officials from United Water New York announced today that the company filed a report with the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) detailing its plans to construct a desalination facility that will treat water from the Hudson River as a long term water supply solution for its customers in Rockland County. The cost of the project, which would begin providing water to Rockland residents by the end of 2015, is approximately $79 million.

“There’s no doubt that Rockland County and New York State officials have pointed to a new water supply as being one of the keys for our community to continue to grow and prosper,” said Michael Pointing, vice president and general manager of United Water New York. “Our proposal to develop that new major water supply on the Hudson River provides a high degree of reliability and the ability to expand when necessary. New advances in water treatment technology make desalination a safe and efficient choice to provide high quality drinking water to our customers in Rockland County.”

According to Pointing, United Water will be testing the water quality at different sites along the Hudson River to determine the best location for an intake facility. The water quality tests will examine the salinity at different times during the day. Once the testing is completed, United Water will begin preparations for the construction of a pilot plant.

Desalination chosen over other options
During the past several years United Water has examined a number of options for potential long-term sources of supply for its customers. The company looked at a new reservoir at Ambrey Pond in Stony Point, the installation of additional groundwater wells, possible re-use of wastewater from the Rockland County Sewer District #1, an increased withdrawal from Lake DeForest, and the potential use of Suffern Quarry for a small reservoir.

In 2006, United Water boiled down its options for a viable, long-term water supply to two potential projects - the construction of Ambrey Pond Reservoir or desalination of water from the Hudson River. The final review of these two projects rested on several criteria: drought tolerance; perceived dam safety concerns from local neighbors; plant expandability; permitting requirements; complexity of construction; and cost.

“When you examined the two projects side-by-side, it was crystal clear that the Desalination Plant using the water from the Hudson River trumped the Ambrey Pond Reservoir in just about every category,” said Pointing. “The Hudson River gives us a drought tolerant water supply that is eminently expandable. The cost for construction of the treatment facility is nearly $20 million less than building the Ambrey Project, and the treatment technology will produce a better quality water for our customers.”

What is Desalination?
The desalination process removes dissolved substances from the water, such as salinity and contributing inorganics such as sodium, chloride, sulfate, calcium and magnesium. Recent developments in membrane technology, used in the treatment of water, have resulted in a process that is more energy efficient, requires a smaller construction footprint, and has the ability for modular expansion.

Membrane desalination facilities are typically used throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. The membrane desalination process uses the principle of reverse osmosis for desalinating water. At the heart of the process, is a semi-permeable membrane that allows only the passage of water and restricts that of dissolved substances. When this membrane is used to separate saline water from pure water, the natural osmosis process (that occurs naturally in many biological systems such as cells) causes pure water to move through the membrane towards the saline water side.

However, by applying pressure on the saline water side of the membrane, the flow can be reversed, resulting in desalination. Since the natural osmotic flow is reversed to achieve desalination, this process is called reverse osmosis. This process has been in use for the past 35 years and is widely used to treat various sources of water such as seawater, brackish water, municipal wastewater and industrial wastewaters.

Benefits of Desalination
The water obtained through this process is characterized as very high quality. Since the reverse osmosis membranes are designed such that only water passes through it, they are capable of high degree of removal of dissolved constituents.

“United Water is a leader in the water industry throughout the nation and will be able to draw on the extensive experience of its parent company to implement this water treatment technology,” Pointing said. “While there is a great deal of work ahead of us to put this new treatment plant into operation, we’re fully confident that desalination technology will prove to be a fantastic opportunity to increase our customers’ water supply far into the future.”

About United Water
United Water New York provides water service to more than 270,000 people throughout Rockland County and the Town of Tuxedo, NY in Orange County. Its parent company, United Water, provides water and wastewater services to 7 million people in the United States. In addition to owning and operating regulated utilities, United Water operates municipal systems through public-private partnerships and contract agreements. Four of the nation’s largest water and wastewater contracts are operated by United Water. United Water is a subsidiary of Suez, a global leader in energy, water and waste services that serves more than 125 million people worldwide.

CONTACT:
Rich Henning
United Water New York
845.623.1500, ext. 2869