$250M Water Treatment Facility in New Rochelle Comes in On-Time, Under-Budget

New Rochelle, NY — Upgrades have been completed to the New Rochelle Water Resource Recovery Facility, the largest public works project in Westchester County’s history.

County Executive Robert P. Astorino announced the on-time, under-budget completion of the $250 million upgrade Wednesday at a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

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The improvement project consisted of upgrades to every process to meet new permitting requirements, officials said.

“Despite the complexity of the project to meet new environmental standards and improve water quality, our engineers’ consortium and contractor completed a state-of-the-art solution that was both on time and under budget,” Astorino said. “The upgrades to the New Rochelle WRRF, with improvements to every process in the plant, mean a 50 percent larger wastewater capacity for New Rochelle, Mamaroneck, Larchmont and Pelham, plus a substantially cleaner Long Island Sound.”

As a result of the project, a new two-stage biological aerated filtration system has reduced nitrogen discharge to the Long Island Sound by nearly 87 percent—from 2,000 pounds per day to approximately 250 pounds per day.

The facility also includes ultraviolet light disinfection systems that replaced chlorine disinfection and upgrades to the headworks and secondary treatment system that will increase the plants’ capacity by 51 percent.

As part of the ribbon cutting ceremony, Commissioner Thomas Lauro, Department of Environmental Facilities, dedicated a bench outside the new Process Control Building to the memory of Louise Doyle, a longtime county employee who passed away in 2015.

Photo caption: From left, Shay Gavin, Savin Engineers; Nancy Seligson, Mamaroneck Town Supervisor; Legislator MaryJane Shimsky; Noam Bramson, New Rochelle Mayor; Legislator Jim Maisano; Carl Petrillo, Yonkers Contracting; Commissioner Jay Pisco, Department of Public Works; Commissioner Thomas Lauro, Department of Environmental Facilities; County Executive Rob Astorino; Robert Butterworth, GHD; Dr. Nivas, Savin Engineers; Deputy County Executive Kevin Plunkett; Legislator Sheila Marcotte. Photo credit: Courtesy.