The long-term project will address a number of issues including groundwater and surface water supply and demand, watershed protection, drought management and long-term effects of climate change. Mike Principe, Ph.D., and vice president in HDR’s Pearl River, N.Y., office, said a set of recommendations will be developed for one-, five- and 10-year periods.
Principe added that a regional approach will be key to dealing with the county’s water issues, in particular regional water supply planning for the cities of Newburgh and Middletown, N.Y., and surrounding communities. Such growth areas need water resource development assistance to help meet demands based on population projections for the next 5 to 10 years, and those projects will be addressed early in the planning process.
Water Authority Chairwoman Marcia Jacobowitz said the key to implementing the recommendations from the study is coordination with Orange County municipalities. “There’s knowledge that only the municipalities have within their control and information that dates back that they alone have that we will need,” Jacobowitz said.
The current timeline for releasing the water master plan is January 2009.
