Bronxville and Eastchester residents can now see where their wastewater goes, thanks to a new video tour of the county's largest treatment plant.
Westchester County released the video on Monday, Oct. 12, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the Yonkers Water Resource Recovery Facility. The plant processes an average of 65 million gallons of wastewater per day for roughly 544,000 residents across 16 communities, according to the county. Bronxville and Eastchester are among the municipalities served.
The plant never shuts down. It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is by far the largest of seven wastewater facilities run by the Westchester County Department of Environmental Facilities (DEF).
The video follows wastewater from the moment it arrives at the facility through each stage of treatment before it is returned to the environment.
"Some of the most important work County government does happens completely out of sight … We wanted to open those doors and give residents a chance to see where their tax dollars are going," County Executive Ken Jenkins said in the announcement.
Commissioner Vincent Kopicki, who heads DEF, said the video highlights the work of employees who staff the facility day and night, on weekends and holidays. First Deputy Commissioner Louis Vetrone noted that DEF maintains not just the seven treatment plants but also 42 pumping stations and about 200 miles of trunk sewers and force mains across the county.
Beyond Bronxville and Eastchester, the Yonkers facility serves all or part of Ardsley, Briarcliff Manor, Dobbs Ferry, Elmsford, Greenburgh, Harrison, Hastings-on-Hudson, Irvington, Mount Kisco, Mount Pleasant, Mount Vernon, New Castle, New Rochelle and North Castle. Across all seven plants, the county processes more than 45 billion gallons of wastewater annually. The other six facilities are in Mamaroneck, New Rochelle, Blind Brook in Rye, Port Chester, Ossining and Peekskill.
The county said it will schedule a press-only tour of the Yonkers plant based on media interest. Outlets can contact county communications director Catherine Cioffi at (914) 995-2932.
