Ossining breaks ground for $105.7M water treatment plant

A groundbreaking ceremony was held to mark the beginning of construction on the new Indian Brook Water Treatment Plant for the Village and Town of Ossining. The new plant will be at 25 Fowler Ave., adjacent to the southwest portion of the village-owned Indian Brook Reservoir.

State Sen. Pete Harckham and Assemblymember Dana Levenberg worked on assembling $15 million in state funds to help finance the plant. Those funds included $10 million that Gov. Kathy Hochul announced would come in the form of a grant from the state’s Mid-Hudson Momentum Fund and $5 million from Water Infrastructure Improvement Act funds. The village has received a total of $17,704,812 in grant funding toward construction costs.

Primary financing for the project is through the issuance of local bonds. It was determined that the maximum estimated cost of the project would be $105,729,040. American Rescue Plan Act funds of $2,544,812 that were provided to the village were to be put toward the project. Bonds authorized in 2021 totaling up to $63,160,000 and village bonds authorized this year totaling up to $40,24,228 would be used to pay for the project, minus the amounts provided by grants and funding from other sources.

Harckham, who was among the state and local officials attending the groundbreaking said, “This municipality prides itself on its clean drinking water, and its efforts to maintain this distinction are noteworthy. The funding, which I advocated for and passed as part of the FY2024-2025 State Budget, is illustrative of the state’s strong commitment toward supporting new housing in our communities and strengthening the infrastructure necessary to do so.”

In 2016, the village and town began jointly planning for the construction of a new water treatment plant since 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 and evolving regulatory requirements. Following a competitive bidding process, in January of this year the project was awarded to ELQ Industries, Solar Electric, Carey and Walsh, and Mace Contracting.

“When planning for the new water treatment plant began, no one could have imagined the series of events and challenges to come,” said Village of Ossining Mayor Rika Levin. “In addition, the accelerating consequences of climate change, the aftermath of a global pandemic, and a national housing crisis have raised awareness of the need for solid and reliable essential infrastructure. Simultaneously, the cost of infrastructure has risen significantly as well.”

Ossining Town Supervisor Liz Feldman said, “The town and village are unified in our commitment to provide clean, safe water for Ossining residents. We have worked together diligently over the past several years, planning for this critically important project.”