Rockland Water Coalition

The Rockland Water Coalition has published a 129-page report that includes a collection of 24 letters submitted to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in response to the United Water New York (UWNY) proposed desalination-filtration water treatment plant at Haverstraw Bay. With the treatment plant, the Hudson River would become a source of drinking water for Rockland County. Several of the letters, documents in the Rockland Coalition’s publication, criticize the UWNY proposal and call for more effective water conservation and for sustainable water management practices in Rockland County. The documents also raise significant issues concerning health, environment and economic concerns about the proposed plant — including its impact on the Hudson River, close proximity to Indian Point and the closed Haverstraw Landfill and other industrial sites, the water transfer rates to Northern New Jersey, current flooding problems, loss of water within the system, lacking Rockland County Comprehensive Plan, the real costs to Rockland County residents to finance the construction of a proposed water treatment plant, the unsustainable population growth that could result, additional infrastructure costs for municipalities and the predicted increase of future water rates tied to the ever-increasing and unpredictable cost of energy to filter and process the water and dispose of contaminates removed from the river.

 
The documents included in the report were submitted to DEC by individuals and by environmental organizations concerned with the proposed scope of the environmental review. “Scoping” is process by which DEC, in its role as Lead Agency for the NY State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), determines which topics will be included as subjects of its review and future public hearings. As part of the process, UWNY is required to submit a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) in which it must respond to each question that emerges from the scoping process. After the DEC accepts the DEIS, there will be a public hearing and a period for written comments from the public, government and non-government organizations. The Rockland Coalition for Sustainable Water comprises local, regional and national non-government organizations and concerned individuals.

 
For further information from the coalition or to be notified by e-mail about future public meetings, please send your name and e-mail address to: RocklandWater@gmail.com or call 845-429-2020.

The Rockland Water Coalition Scoping Report (Released July 9, 2009):
To view the INDEX of individual letters: http://www.stonypointer.org/rocklandwater/index.html
To download the entire 129-page report (12.6MB): http://www.stonypointer.org/rocklandwater/Individual-Pages/UWNY-Scoping-REPORT(090625).pdf

Final Scope Document For Haverstraw Desalination Plant (June 29, 2009):
http://haverstrawwatersupplyproject.com/images/stories/deis/uwny_hwsp-final-scope-jun-29_09.pdf
* NOTE: The DRAFT Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) has not yet been completed.

FOOD & WATER WATCH fact sheet: Desalination Is Not the Answer for Rockland County (April 30, 2009):
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/water/desalination/desalination-is-not-the-answer-for-rockland-county