Orange County holds public hearing on $185 million Harriman wastewater plant upgrade and capacity increase

Orange County held a public hearing July 23 to receive public comment on a proposed $185,000,000 program to make longevity improvements to the Harriman Wastewater Treatment Plant and expand treatment capacity from 6 million gallons per day (MGD) to 9 MGD.

The project team, led by Eric Denenga, Commissioner of the Orange County Department of Public Works, and Marybeth Bianconi, partner at Delaware Engineering, told the Legislature the work is needed both to meet a new SPDES permit and to replace aging infrastructure. Bianconi said the core work is a new 7 MGD sequencing batch reactor to replace “train number 1,” upgrades to keep train number 3 operating at its current 2 MGD, and other site longevity improvements. “The new project is a 7,000,000 gallon a day sequencing batch reactor,” Bianconi said.

The nut of the county’s presentation was financing and timing. County consultants presented an all-in preliminary cost of $185 million and said the county has applied for federal and state financing including the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and programs tied to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, a Water Quality Improvement Program grant (application due July 31), and a Water Infrastructure Improvement grant described by…