Opposition to Desalination Escalates in Rockland County, New York

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Opposition to Desalination Escalates in
Rockland County, New York

Statement of Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food & Water Watch

Washington, D.C.—“Public resistance to desalination mounted last week when two towns in Rockland County, New York, issued resolutions voicing opposition to the proposed Haverstraw Water Supply Project. The towns of Ramapo and Stony Point passed resolutions speaking out against the project. An initiative of the private corporation United Water, the project would supply water to the Rockland County area by desalinating water from the Hudson River just north of New York City. Proponents tout the project as a means of supplying long-term drinking water to the area. Yet, there are major problems with the proposal.

 “If constructed, the facility will generate a generous annual profit stream for United Water. Yet, local water customers will pay for United Water’s gain in the form of the rate increases that will be necessary to address the costs of United Water’s capital investment, as well as the massive amounts of energy that it takes to run a desalination facility. Because it will draw from the Hudson River, the drinking water the plant produces may contain traces of radioactive chemicals that pose a threat to human health. The plant may also damage the local marine environments and could contribute to global warming. A desalination facility would be an impractical and damaging investment for a state trying to lower its carbon emissions.

“Food & Water Watch and the Rockland Coalition for Sustainable Water applaud the towns of Ramapo and Stony Point for their commitment to ensuring that area water infrastructure needs are addressed in the safest, most cost-effective way possible. Desalination should only ever be considered after all other possible methods of water conservation and delivery have been exhausted. Rather than saddling area residents with the financial burdens of building and operating a desalination facility, conservation methods such as rainwater harvesting, upgrading leaking municipal water pipes, and promoting green infrastructure systems should instead be implemented. We commend the commitment of these municipalities for their proactive position of protecting consumer interests in Rockland County and urge other towns in the area to follow their lead and issue similar resolutions.”

Food & Water Watch is a non-profit organization working with grassroots organizations around the world to create an economically and environmentally viable future. Through research, public and policymaker education, media, and lobbying, we advocate policies that guarantee safe, wholesome food produced in a humane and sustainable manner and public, rather than private, control of water resources including oceans, rivers, and groundwater. For more information, visit www.foodandwaterwatch.org.
 
For more information about the Rockland Coalition for Sustainable Water visit sustainablerockland.org.