The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) is eager to move forward with the first phase of their $2B plan to improve the Hillview Reservoir, a water storage reservoir encompassing 90 acres in southeast Yonkers.
With a capacity of 900 million gallons, the concrete-lined reservoir is slated to be covered completely by 2050. This is a result of a March 2019 decision by the NYCDEP and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to comply with the Safe Water Drinking Act.
Matthew Valade, the Regional Water Practice Group Leader at Hazen and Sawyer, a firm specializing in water projects, confirmed that the Hillview Reservoir provides drinking water For up to 100% of New York City as well as 50% of Yonkers’ water supply.
“The Hillview Reservoir facilities control the incoming flows from the upstate water supply reservoirs and manage water pressure entering the water distribution system,” Valade said. “The chemical systems at Hillview Reservoir provide the last point of chemical treatment for a majority of the water supply before water enters New York City’s drinking water distribution system.”
Hillview Reservoir Improvements Project
Built between 1909 and 1917, the Hillview Reservoir is unique in New York State for its location adjacent to residential communities. While most of the other reservoirs within New York’s watershed are located in rural areas, upgrades are being made to ensure the safety of the surrounding communities, and continued use of the facility as a major source of drinking water.
Numerous upgrades are planned at the Hillview Reservoir, including improvements to flow control, increased chemical storage capacity on site, two new chemical addition facilities, a new Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system, new electrical service feeds and related distribution equipment, innovative flow measurement systems, as well as constructing a police booth at the upgraded north entrance to the facility.
In the multi-phase project, existing chemical feeding and monitoring systems will be upgraded or replaced, and new roadways onsite will be constructed to improve access to the facility. The project also included plans to decommission and demolish old buildings as they are replaced by new facilities.
A number of variances were submitted to the Yonkers Zoning Board of Appeals, primarily concerning parking spaces on site and building height restrictions. NYCDEP also sought approval to continue construction, as needed, outside of normal working hours. The Yonkers Zoning Board of Appeals approved the variances in March. NYCDEP currently seeks approval of their site plan from the Yonkers Planning Board.
Essential Upgrades to Critical Infrastructure
Following an environmental review of the Hillview Reservoir Improvements Project, NYDEP also engaged with the community. Groups of residents, including the Hyatt Association, attended town halls hosted by Yonkers Council member John Rubbo. The project received a negative declaration of environmental impact by NYCDEP.
John Milgrim, Director of Outreach for the NYCDEP water supply system remains optimistic about the positive impact top the community that will result from the Hillview Reservoir Upgrades.
“We worked with the community intensively — listened to their concerns. We believe that we have addressed the vast majority of their concerns in a positive way with providing green space they can use throughout, continue to allow them to use space that is New York City property that abuts to the backyards, to ensure that have somebody that they can reach out to who is in a decision making capacity, who they can work with and reach pretty much any day of the week.”
The NYCDEP estimates that up to 450 construction jobs will be created by the initiative.
