New York State Senator Pete Harckham and Assemblymember Dana Levenberg announced today that $5 million in state funding is being earmarked for construction of the new Indian Brook Water Treatment Plant in Ossining.
“Ossining was dealing with cost escalations for this critical project due to tariffs and inflation in construction costs,” said Harckham. “I was happy to work alongside my colleagues to secure this funding to improve infrastructure while taking the financial burden off of water customers and local taxpayers.”
“Clean, safe drinking water is a vital resource, especially for a community experiencing population and economic growth,” said Levenberg. “This $5 million grant, funded by monies made available by the Environmental Bond Act of 2022, brings Ossining ever closer to the world-class water treatment facility our community needs at this moment in time. This investment builds on the significant state support that has already been dedicated to this project, and I am grateful to Governor Hochul and her administration for their continued attention to the infrastructure needs of my district.”
In 2016, the Village and Town 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.
The Village of Ossining owns and operates the existing Indian Brook Water Treatment Plant, which is located in the unincorporated Town of Ossining in Westchester County, New York, directly adjacent to the southwest portion of the Village-owned Indian Brook Reservoir. This facility provides water to inhabitants of both the Village of Ossining and the Town of Ossining.
A ground-breaking ceremony for the new water treatment plant was held in August 2024. In addition to necessary increased treatment capacity from 4 million gallons per day to 7 million gallons per day, the new water treatment plant 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, compliance requirements for copper and lead that the current plant cannot accommodate.
Not only will the new water treatment plant provide significant benefits for the Village and Town of Ossining in terms of the guaranteed provision of quality drinking water, but there will be ancillary impacts on affordable housing and economic development for Ossining and the broader region as well. The total cost of the new treatment plant is $105 million.
The state funding is part of a larger $113 million allocation from the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation for water infrastructure improvements statewide. The funds for the Ossining project are split between interest-free and market-rate financing from the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF), a federal-state partnership that provides affordable financing for water quality infrastructure projects.
Ossining Town Supervisor Elizabeth Feldman said, “We are deeply grateful to Governor Hochul, Senator Harckham, and Assemblymember Levenberg for their commitment to Ossining’s future through this critical investment in our water infrastructure. This funding will help ease the financial burden on water district ratepayers while ensuring our community has access to safe, reliable drinking water for generations to come.”
Ossining Mayor Rika Levin said, “This $5 million state grant provides critical funding to build a new, state-of-the-art Indian Brook Water Treatment Plant. By securing these funds through the Environmental Bond Act, we are modernizing our infrastructure to ensure safe, reliable drinking water for generations while keeping it affordable for our local ratepayers. We are incredibly grateful to Governor Hochul, State Senator Harckham and Assemblymember Levenberg for their advocacy and partnership in securing this funding, which protects our taxpayers from bearing the full financial burden of these essential improvements.”
Ossining Superintendent of Water and Sewers Andrew Tiess said, “This funding is a critical component for achieving our department’s long-term infrastructure goals. The new Indian Brook Water Treatment Plant will replace aging systems with modern, highly efficient technology, significantly upgrading our treatment capabilities and ensuring the long-term reliability of our water supply. This state funding allows us to deliver the top-tier water quality and modern resiliency our consumers deserve, all while keeping the infrastructure project cost-effective for our local utility customers. We are grateful to our state partners for their support in making this project possible.”
