Orange County advisory committee reviews Harmon Lake treatment-plant design and DOT access request

At a May 20 meeting of the Orange County Seward District No. 1 Advisory Committee, county staff and consultants reviewed progress on the Harmon Lake wastewater treatment plant design and discussed pursuing surplus land from the state Department of Transportation to provide a new vehicle access from Route 17.

The update matters because a new, permanent entrance and nearby space for equipment could reduce truck traffic on Evergreen and River roads during construction and operation, and because securing DOT surplus land could affect the project’s construction staging and schedule.

Mary Beth B. Coney, partner at Delaware Engineering DPC, told the committee the design group has continued work on sludge handling and disposal options and on treatment-plant hydraulics, and has issued requests for information to manufacturers for blowers, sludge-handling equipment and mechanical bar screens and grit removal. “We continue to coordinate with Orange and Rockland, utility, and we continue to work with DOT,” Coney said.

Coney described two related items discussed with DOT: a shorter, faster application to obtain a permanent access point off Route 17, and a longer process to request surplus parcels adjacent to the plant property. She said the county will pursue a “request for surplus land” and acknowledged DOT’s process could take “1 to 2 years” and carries no guarantee of transfer. Committee members discussed the option of a temporary construction easement if immediate, short-term access or additional construction staging area is needed.

Robert Gray, Deputy Commissioner, EF and S, and Anthony Griffith, consultant with the Department of Public Works, joined the technical discussion. Coney said survey work completed late last year remains on file; asbestos surveys for structures to be demolished have been contracted; and geotechnical requests for proposals returned with three firms responsive and within the project budget, now under internal review.

Coney also described the preferred access location as the land between Route 17 and the existing plant fence line, with an access point near the filter building. Committee members asked whether ownership would be a permanent transfer; Coney replied the county would apply for surplus land and, if granted, “we would own it.”

The consultants said the proposed access would likely allow a right-turn-only exit from the facility and reduce truck volumes on local roads by permitting use of Route 17 for some construction traffic. They noted design discussions also consider whether there is adequate space to place equipment without encroaching on state land and that DOT retains about 30 feet of land adjacent to the pavement in many locations.

No formal committee vote was recorded on access or land acquisition at the meeting. Instead, staff reported they are coordinating applications and will pursue DOT’s surplus-land process while evaluating temporary construction easement options if needed.

For the design team, next steps identified at the meeting included finalizing equipment-selection inquiries, completing the asbestos and geotechnical scopes, and continuing regulatory coordination with the Department of Environmental Conservation on permit questions.

The advisory committee scheduled a site tour of the Harriman Wastewater Treatment Plant for mid‑June to review the proposed access and construction logistics.