Extension of Yorktown Sewer District Receives Financial Boost
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A planned extension of the Hallocks Mill Sewer District in Yorktown that will provide service for 315 properties currently on septic systems has received a major financial boost from higher levels of government.
Last week, Westchester County announced it will release $10 million in funds that have been set aside for years as part of a New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) East of Hudson water quality improvement initiative.
Westchester’s decision came after Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-White Plains) said $1.2 million in federal infrastructure improvement funding was being given to Yorktown to help complete the $14.3 million sewer project.
“We have worked closely with our colleagues in county government to assure that after 30 years, this major environmental quality improvement project moves forward,” Yorktown Supervisor Matt Slater said.
The federal grant will be used for the first phase of the extension project, which consists of engineering design. Yorktown plans on borrowing the balance once the state comptroller approves creation of the district.
Yorktown officials have said the extended district will dramatically improve the water quality of Sparkle Lake, a major recreational resource for town residents, as well as the Croton Reservoir, which provides drinking water for millions of residents in the metropolitan area.
The Hallocks Mill sewer extension is the first of three sewer district improvements that are planned, each of which will enhance the water quality and the overall environment for residents and those who utilize the Croton watershed.
Westchester County Executive George Latimer addressed the project in response to a published report that suggested the county should use the funds as leverage to encourage Yorktown to adopt a 10 percent requirement for residential developments built in the town.
“There are two important public policy issues we are committed to: advancing affordable housing and addressing pollution that threatens our drinking water,” Latimer said in a statement. “We want all Westchester municipalities to do their fair share to provide affordable housing, Yorktown included, in the same manner as neighboring communities like Somers and Cortlandt have already done.”
“Protecting safe drinking water through the Hallocks Mill Sewer Extension Project is too important to be used as ‘leverage,’” Latimer also mentioned in the statement. “The federal government’s commitment of $1.2 million toward this end shows the priority placed on this remediation. The county intends to correct the sewer system deficiencies and separately work to get the right commitments from the town on housing. These are not mutually exclusive goals.”
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
