State OKs $80M for New Rochelle Wastewater Plant

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – The New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation Board of Directors recently approved $80 million in interest-free and low-interest financing for upgrades to the New Rochelle Wastewater Treatment Plant.

“The Environmental Facilities Corporation is pleased to have been able to assist Westchester County in providing an affordable solution to their clean water needs. The no-interest loan and low-interest loan announced today (Thursday) will provide Westchester County with an affordable solution to finance this project while ensuring the continued protection of the water quality in Long Island Sound for years to come,” said the agency's president and CEO Matthew Driscoll.

The money will be used for extensive upgrades at the plant in order to ensure continued protection of the Long Island Sound, the corporation said.

The loans, part of a multi-year financing plan, is expected to save county taxpayers an estimated $450,000 in interest costs during the first year alone, the agency said.

The money will be used for improvements at the plant, including the installation of systems to remove biological nutrients from the water and the construction of equipment to disinfect ultraviolet light so that requirements with levels of chlorine in the water are met, the agency said.

“The planned improvements to the New Rochelle treatment plant will allow for better and more-consistent treatment of wastewater, while ensuring that the plant continues to produce clean, safe discharges into Long Island Sound,” said Joe Martens of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and corporation board of directors chairman.

The money is expected to pay for the expansion of flow capacity at the plant, the replacement of outdated equipment and upgrades to pump stations and other tanks.

Improvements at other treatment facilities related to, but not involved in the financing, include the installation of systems to remove biological nutrients at the corporation's Mamaroneck plant and advancements to meet requirements with levels of chlorine in the water at plants in Blind Brook and Port Chester.

All work is expected to be completed by July 2014. The county anticipates converting these short-term loans to long-term financing through the corporation in 2013.

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