Tuesday, January 31, 2012

UV Water Attracting Hudson Valley Communities by Dave Lucas

Drinking water systems serving tens of thousands of Westchester County residents are eager to get online with a new ultraviolet water treatment plant New York City in Mount Pleasant. Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Dave Lucas reports.
New York's Catskill and Delaware water supplies are known for their high quality. The City of New York has taken steps to ensure the purity of drinking water for its millions of residents, including the construction of a $1.4-billion, 2-billion-gallon-per-day plant that employs a chemical-free disinfection process that uses ultraviolet light.

The Catskill-Delaware Ultraviolet Disinfection Facility has been touted as the largest UV disinfection facility in the world. Among water systems interested in tapping in: Westchester Joint Waterworks, which serves more than 120-thousand customers in Harrison, Mamaroneck town and village, part of the City of Rye, and part of New Rochelle.

Westchester Joint Water Works asked to join in the county project to replace water it now takes from Rye Lake, which, if it continued to use, would have to build its own filtration plant under orders from the state Health Department. he Waterworks' share of the cost to link to the DEP plant has been pegged at approx. $32.4 million.

For now, Westchester County, remains undecided as to whether to build its own UV plant or tap into the New York City facility. The New York City DEP says the water is available if Westchester county wants it. A spokeswoman for County Executive Rob Astorino declined to go on tape but told WAMC that discussions are ongoing.

UV water is already flowing thru some pipes in Ducthess County: Wappingers Falls Mayor Matt Alexander says control of water, water rates and future development factored into the municipality's decision to spend 5-point-75 million dollars to build a new water treatment plant.

Officials in local water districts throughout the Lower Hudson Valley say as they face mounting pressures to bring up their water quality to the latest regulatory standards, they'll be looking to alternative supplies and treatment methods.
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