After several years of litigation, in 2003, the New York State Legislature approved New York City’s plans to build a water filtration plant on 28 acres of Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. The City must build the plant to meet federal drinking-water standards for water sourced from the Croton watershed, which currently accounts for 10% of the New York City water supply but will be able to account for 30% following plant completion. Overseen by the City’s Department of Environment Protection (DEP), the Croton water treatment plant will be the first filtration plant in the City and one of the largest in the nation.

The plant is being constructed underground in the southeast corner of the park beneath the Mosholu Golf Course driving range. In 2004, construction began when the City blasted a 10-story deep hole in the bedrock. The City promises to restore the driving range upon completion of the project. The final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) estimated that blasting the hole and restoring the park area above the plant would still be more cost effective than constructing the plant at an alternate above-ground site in Westchester. Opponents claim these cost estimates were grossly misrepresented.

Led by local District 81 Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Bronx), community opposition to constructing the plant in the Park has argued that the plant would worsen traffic and ruin precious open space for the 26,000 people that live within a half-mile radius of the site. Opponents of the project say the City never seriously considered alternative locations, particularly the Eastview site in Westchester, which has almost no residential neighbors. Opposition has continued, specifically related to the use of blasting on site during construction. The DEP had agreed in late 2008 not to use blasting after a lawsuit was filed against them but in May 2009, the DEP reversed this decision.

The City maintains that the Bronx site was selected for several reasons: engineering preconditions, proximity to existing water tunnels, and enhanced security. The DEP argues that improved security derives not only from the location of the treatment plant within city limits, but also from the plant’s operation as a parallel system to the water sourced from the Catskills/Delaware system, in case of a catastrophic event. The City intends to use the Westchester site in the future when water from the Catskills/Delaware system requires a purification facility.

With the support of local labor unions, Mayor Bloomberg brokered a deal with Bronx politicians to bypass Assemblyman Dinowitz by promising $243 million in additional funding for Bronx parks – including $43 million for Van Cortlandt Park alone. Further, the deal included promises to provide jobs for local residents and minimize environmental burdens on the surrounding neighborhood.

Opponents of the Croton plant argue that the City has failed to uphold its promises. By the end of 2008, local residents held 23% of the jobs at the plant, primarily because most local residents do not have the education or training required by the unions that control hiring at the plant. In the absence of City-brokered agreements to hire non-union personnel, the percentage of local employees at the plant will likely remain low. In regards to minimizing burdens on the neighborhood, the DEP fulfilled promises to muffle blasting noises yet was delayed in installing the required pollution controls on construction vehicles. However, the project does incorporate a community presence into oversight of operations. The Croton Facility Monitoring Committee includes community members, representatives of local community boards, and elected officials. Supporters of the plant’s location also note that the City has already spent $120 million on Bronx parks as a direct result of the Van Cortland deal.

Despite this influx of money for Bronx parks, New Yorkers for Parks argue that Mayor Bloomberg’s deal will ultimately damage parks city wide. In conjunction with several local elected officials, the group warned that the means used to obtain the parkland put other city parks at risk by setting a disturbing precedent, known as parkland alienation, wherein parkland can be taken for non-park uses without community consent. Soon after Van Cortlandt Park was declared the official site of the plant, the new Yankees stadium absorbed Macombs Dam Park, also in spite of opposition by local elected officials. However, water plant supporters point out that Van Cortlandt Park is being used for important city infrastructure, just like Central Park and several other popular parks.

Originally slated to cost $1.127 billion and be completed by 2006, the Van Cortlandt filtration plant is now estimated to cost $3 billion and be completed in 2012. In October 2008, the Independent Budget Office (IBO) examined rising costs and determined that 45% is due to inflation, costs that would have been incurred regardless of location. The remaining increases are mostly due to construction changes, the departure of the original contractor in April 2007, and the subsequent lack of bidders to pick up construction. Funding for the plant is derived from water and sewer fees imposed on City residents, so ultimately the utility consumers bear the burden of rising prices. The DEP states that the plant’s costs absorb 7% of utility consumers’ bills.

Last Updated: May 22, 2009