October 2, 2001

Contact: Geoff Ryan (718/595-6600)

Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrades Moving Ahead

Upgrades are well underway at six wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the watersheds of New York City's Catskill and Delaware Water Supply Systems, according to an announcement by Commissioner Joel A. Miele Sr., P.E., of the City's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Each of the facilities is owned by a municipality or firm other than the City and is being upgraded in accordance with the 1997 Watershed Memorandum of Agreement (MOA).

"I am pleased to report that construction started on the four largest facilities this summer," said Commissioner Miele. "Those four account for 85.5% of the wastewater treated by non-City-owned WWTPs in the West-of-Hudson watershed. The other two, which account for an additional 2.8% of treated effluent, will begin construction in mid-autumn. All six are scheduled for completion by the second quarter of 2002, in conformance with an agreement with the United States Environmental Protection Agency."

Each of the plants will be upgraded to state-of-the-art technology that includes '"tertiary" treatment, which is well above the State-mandated secondary treatment standard. As part of the MOA, DEP will fund all aspects of the upgrades called for by the Watershed Rules and Regulations and not otherwise required by State or federal law.

Five of the plants undergoing upgrades are in Delaware County -- the municipal facilities owned by the Villages of Delhi, Hobart, Stamford and Walton, and another that treats wastewater at Worcester Creamery, formerly Mountainside Dairy Farms, in Roxbury. The sixth plant serves the Hunter Highlands community in Greene County. The Delhi plant will also handle pre-treated wastewater from the Ultra-Dairy and DMV processing facilities.

In addition to these six plants, the upgrades of 21 smaller WWTPs in the Catskill/Delaware watershed are all scheduled for completion by or before the first quarter of 2003. These plants typically treat wastewater from restaurants, hotels, seasonal camps and small housing developments. Seven other small WWTPs are scheduled to be de-commissioned and connected to three proposed non-City-owned municipal WWTPs.

By 1998, DEP had completed upgrades of its five WWTPs, which treat 40% of the total wastewater in the Catskill/Delaware watershed. DEP installed microfiltration, a technology used to filter drinking water, to achieve the high tertiary treatment standards at its own plants. Microfiltration or equivalent technologies will be used at all the non-City-owned plants currently being upgraded.