Desalination in Haverstraw: Coup d’main or d’essai?
The Town of Haverstraw has come to an agreement with United Water Suez concerning the desal plant down by the river. Supervisor Phillips has announced that the former landfill property on Beach Road along with riverfront property owned by The US Gypsum Company will be the permanent site of a desal plant.
I applaud Mr. Phillips and the Town Board for working with Suez United Water and others in securing this most important plant, and I hope that for many years we as a siting community will benefit from this 21st century ratable.
I still have a sinking feeling that in the long term, this ’solution’ to the PSC rate case could cost us in North Rockland untold millions. The Ambrey’s Pond property in the Town of Stony Point I assume will now be sold and developed regardless of current zoning, adding an additional burden on the North Rockland School District. It would be nice if Suez were to leave the land in trust for future generations, but that would be wishful thinking. I guess the real impact of this whole project will never be known until we find out about the future of Ambrey’s, until the impact of all of Suez United Water proposals to Haverstraw Town have been revealed, and we get our first water bills.
As I have said any number of times here, the long term solution for a safe, secure water supply as well as settling of the PSC Rate Case could be had by simply siting a desal plant at the river. It just seems that a whole different group of environmentalists come out when these issues involve the Hudson River. I just hope Suez Environment and Haverstraw Town can battle Riverkeeper, S.P.A.C.E. , and the FUD these left-wing radicals employ. A safe secure supply of drinking water without a drastic increase in taxes due to the sale of Ambrey’s Pond are what the residents deserve. Let’s just hope this plan works.
The Complete Draft Enviornmental Imact Statement , including maps traffic, ect.