Community Corner

Municipalities Required To Notify Neighbors on Sewer Expansion

In an effort to help neighboring municipalities stay coordinated and informed to prevent potential tension—Westchester County now requires villages, cities and towns to advise nearby communities when it expands its sewer systems.   

“The lack of notification across the municipalities that share sewer infrastructure has been a problem in Westchester for decades,” said Westchester County Legislator John Testa (R-Cortlandt, Peekskill, Yorktown) who introduced the legislation.   

Testa says that issues over capacity and water supply protection have caused “inter-municipal friction” which is why the “Sewer Stakeholder Notification Law” was passed unanimously by the Westchester County Board of Legislators on Monday.   

"The county has the responsibility to make sure all affected municipalities are notified of significant projects in the district so they may comment, plan and be involved in the process from the onset,” said Testa. “The SEQRA [state environmental quality review act] requirement doesn’t always accomplish that. This law does."   

When the municipality asks the county to consider its application to enlarge an existing sewer district by adding any commercial development of 25,000 sq. ft. or more, or the addition of ten residences or more, must provide written notification to all the municipalities within that sewer district or that share a County sewage treatment plant with the affected sewer district.   

"As a former Town Supervisor of Ossining, I know how important it is for municipalities to share complete information to facilitate good decision making,” said Legislator Catherine Borgia, who co-sponsored the legislation.   


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