Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino announced today that the county has reached an agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency on a plan that will bring water supplies serving Mount Vernon, Scarsdale, White Plains and Yonkers into federal compliance and at the same time reduces project costs by about $95 million with the customers in those areas benefitting from the savings.

At issue was the cost and speed of meeting an EPA timetable for enhancing treatment of the water delivered to County Water District One customers. No notice of violation with regard to water safety was served on the district by either New York State or the federal EPA.

Water District One has about 300,000 customers in the four communities. Two-thirds of the district is already fully compliant with the EPA's enhanced water standards. But a 2012 deadline was missed for bringing the entire district into compliance with regulations that call for treating water with ultra-violet light. The ultra-violet light is designed to treat any cryptosporidium that may be present. Cryptosporidium is a naturally occurring microscopic organism that can be harmful to people causing diarrhea and other gastro intestinal disorders; however illnesses attributed to this organism in drinking water is rare.

The deadline became problematic because the initial cost of the final leg of compliance was estimated at $105 million – the price tag for a large pumping station and three-mile pipeline. Astorino directed the county's Department of Environmental Facilities to look for a less expensive alternative. The answer turned out to be building two small prefabricated UV treatment systems adjacent to existing water lines in White Plains at a cost of about $10 million.

The new plan also has the support of White Plains Mayor Tom Roach.

"Since becoming Mayor, I have been pushing for a resolution of this outstanding issue," Roach said. "I am pleased that the City's participation has enabled an engineering solution to the issue, which saves money and can be achieved more quickly than the prior proposal."

Under the terms of the proposed consent decree between the county and the EPA, the federal agency has approved the less expensive alternative for bringing the district into compliance. However, the agency is still imposing a $1.1 million fine for the missed deadline. The agreement now goes to the Board of Legislators for their approval.

"This was a case of necessity being the mother of invention," said Astorino. "We had to find a better solution and we did, which will save about $95 million."