Ossining Breaks Ground On New Water Treatment Plant

OSSINING, NY — Ossining officials held a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday to mark the beginning of construction at the Indian Brook Water Treatment Plant.

"As the provision of safe, clean drinking water is one of the government's most critical roles at this time in history, we in Ossining are fortunate many times over—not only do we have our own source of drinking water over which we have control, we also have a visionary leadership team at the helm, comprised of elected and appointed officials at the local, state and federal level, all of whom have united around this imperative work,” said Mayor Rika Levin.

The Village of Ossining owns and operates the existing Indian Brook Water Treatment Plant, which is located in the unincorporated section of the Town of Ossining, directly adjacent to the southwest portion of the village-owned Indian Brook Reservoir.

For more than 60 years, village and town officials have worked together to ensure the delivery of a reliable source of safe, clean water for Ossining residents and businesses.

In 2016, village and town officials jointly initiated planning for the construction of a new water treatment plant, as it was mutually understood that the existing plant was reaching the end of its useful life and could not continue to operate efficiently at the capacity required to accommodate future growth, Ossining officials said

Recognizing the increasing vulnerability of drinking water sources nationwide, the shared Village and Town commitment to the construction of the new Indian Brook Water Treatment Plant reflects the single most important inter-municipal service initiative designed for the benefit of Ossining residents.

Given the total cost of $105M, officials took care to minimize the financial impact on Ossining's households and businesses.

In addition to calculated reserves dating back to the project's initial conception, the village has secured $10M in funding through Empire State Development's Mid-Hudson Momentum Fund (MHMF) and an additional $5,160,000 from NYS Environmental Facilities Corporation ($5M from a Water Infrastructure Improvement, or WIIA, grant, and $160K funding from the Green Innovation Grant Program, or GIGP, for a green roof). To further reduce the impact on Ossining ratepayers, the village committed the entirety of the community's $2.5M allocation under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to the project as well.

"The Town and Village of Ossining have been working in partnership over many decades to ensure that our residents have access to clean drinking water," said Town Supervisor Elizabeth Feldman. "We are thrilled to be breaking ground today on this critical infrastructure project, which will benefit the people who live and work in Ossining for many more decades to come."

In addition to Feldman and Levin, the gathering also included Senator Pete Harckham, Assemblypersons Dana Levenberg and Steve Otis, Westchester Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins, and Town Councilmembers Angelo Manicchio and Matthew Weiss.

The new IBWTP's planning and design efforts brought together a diverse group of community stakeholders and boasts the support of Federal, State, and local officials.

The project also enjoys strong public support, which has been demonstrated in Village and Town Comprehensive Planning efforts and in public discussions regarding the new IBWTP, which have been frequent and ongoing for the past seven years.

"I applaud Ossining Village officials for the years of planning that have gotten us to the point of breaking ground on the new Indian Brook Water Treatment Plant, and for their proactive efforts to ensure that our community will have a water treatment plant that can meet increasingly complex needs," said Levenberg, who is a former town supervisor. "I am so pleased that New York State will be making substantial contributions toward this project, with $10 million from the Mid-Hudson Momentum Fund in addition to $5 million from Water Infrastructure Improvement Act funds. I was proud to support Ossining's applications for these grants; funding from other levels of government is essential for keeping our water quality high while keeping our bills low. Today is such a great day for Ossining. Water infrastructure is absolutely vital; once complete, this facility will help keep Ossining's water clean for decades to come."

In addition to necessary increased treatment capacity from 4 million gallons per day to 7 million gallons per day, the new IBWTP will dramatically improve the Village’s ability to treat for harmful contaminants including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) associated with perfluorinated alkylated substances (PFAS), 2-Methylisoborneol (MIB), and trihalomethanes (THMs), as well as meet, and likely exceed, the new compliance requirements for copper and lead that the current IBWTP cannot accommodate.

“Congratulations to the Village of Ossining on its groundbreaking for the new Indian Brook Water Treatment Plant. I am proud to have advocated on the village’s behalf for the $10 million in state funding to jumpstart the project, which is illustrative of the state’s strong commitment toward strengthening its critical infrastructure,” said Harckham.

The project's impact on affordable housing, economic development, placemaking, and local tourism will extend significant benefits to Ossining and the broader region as well, officials said.

Since the early planning phases and through groundbreaking, Ossining has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to preserving safe drinking water for residents; this dedication has positioned the greater Ossining community to have some additional certainty in an uncertain global future, ensuring that the needs of New Yorkers can be met without sacrificing quality of life or affordability in the process, officials said.