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“Yonkers is home to a beautiful, vibrant waterfront that is bursting with exciting new businesses, and new development projects that will continue the growth of our waterfront area as a regional destination to live, work and visit here in Westchester,” Spano said. “The City’s waterfront, however, is also home to the County’s Wastewater Treatment Plant, neighboring thousands of residents who live in the Ludlow section of Yonkers and whose quality of life is impacted by the negative effects of the facility’s operation which have yet to be mitigated. It’s an issue that affects our entire city and we stand together in vehemently opposing the County’s current plan to divert additional sewage from other municipalities in Northern Westchester to Yonkers.”
At a press conference Tuesday outside the Westchester County Wastewater Treatment Plant, Spano said residents living nearby have voiced concerns over issues, including include odor.
“While the facility may technically be able to handle the increase in sewage based on current permitting, our neighborhoods, which have existed well before Westchester’s sewage came to town, cannot and should not handle an increased burden on their quality of life as a result of living near the facility,” Spano said. “There is also serious concern that allowing this plan to move forward will serve as a gateway for additional areas of Westchester to use Yonkers as a dumping site, exacerbating the issues already affecting residents which have never been remediated.”
Spano asked the county to provide for improvements in the neighborhood, including the building of a park.
“The County needs to complete remediation efforts that were promised to Yonkers before any discussion of diversion. Time has come to stop dumping on Yonkers and treat the residents of this City as equal residents of Westchester County,” Spano said.
The Westchester County Wastewater Treatment Plant in Yonkers has accepted diverted waste from other municipalities for more than 30 years.
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