Village receives $2.1M for water treatment plant

The village of Rockville Centre will be awarded $2.1 million in state funding to build an iron filtration plant on Maple Avenue, State Sen. Todd Kaminsky announced on Monday.

Last year, Kaminsky secured $950,000 in state funds for Rockville Centre’s drinking water and wastewater infrastructures. Both grants were awarded through the New York Water Infrastructure Improvement Act, a $255 million statewide, clean-water initiative.

“In today’s day and age, it is unacceptable to drink water that is anything but clear and pristine,” Kaminsky said. “I am glad to have helped for this critical infrastructure upgrade to provide iron-free water to the Rockville Centre community.”

The new iron-removal plant will provide up to 5.6 million gallons of iron-free water to village residents on a daily basis. Construction began in May, and officials expect it to be completed in March 2019. It will be the second plant of its kind in the village.

“Infrastructure upgrades to protect our water resources are imperative for the health and safety of our residents and businesses, as well as keeping Rockville Centre a desirable community,” said Mayor Francis X. Murray. “I would like to thank Senator Todd Kaminsky for his hard work in securing grant monies that ensure our village has the funds to improve our water system.”

The Rockville Centre Water Department distributes water from 10 wells located throughout the village. The water is stored in four elevated tanks totaling 4 million gallons of capacity, and is constantly monitored and tested for purity. The new iron-removal system will use sand and anthracite to trap iron molecules as they pass through the filter.