Kiryas Joel, Monroe, NY To The Rescue For Orange County's Sewer Problems

Harriman - The Orange County sewage treatment plant on River Road used to be a facility in crisis, unfit to handle the rising tide of wastewater in the county's fast-growing southeastern corner.

But after an 18-year saga of sewer-hookup bans, things are looking good. Not only do they have a bigger Harriman plant, but county officials say they plan - at least in the short term - to keep using the Kiryas Joel sewage plant they borrowed as a stopgap measure, which adds another cushion of capacity.

As of last month, the county had spent about $4 million to lease, staff and power the Kiryas Joel plant, county spokesman Steve Gross said.

The Harriman plant can now treat up to 6 million gallons of wastewater per day, having just gotten a 1.5-million-gallon boost. With the Kiryas Joel plant, the county has another million gallons at its disposal.

Add up all the factors, and a region habitually short of sewage plant space could ultimately find itself flush with it - the key, whether residents like it or not, to continued development in the region.