New York American Water seeks to build iron filtration facility in Baldwin

New York American Water is seeking to build an iron filtration facility on Seaman Avenue in Baldwin. The private utility company will appear before the Town of Hempstead’s board of appeals on Nov. 28 and request a special exception to construct a building at 915 Seaman Ave.

Anyone who wishes to speak on the application should be at town hall, 1 Washington St., by 2 p.m. The meeting will also be streamed live at hempsteadny.gov/ board-of-appeals-live-streaming-video.

The site already houses a water production and treatment facility. John Kilpatrick, of NYAW, said construction on the proposed filtration facility would take 18 months and would involve some truck traffic, but that streets would not be closed and neighboring homeowners would not be detoured around the area.

Iron in water is not a health concern, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, but it can cause water to become discolored. “Providing high-quality water service is paramount to New York American Water, and we continue to work on lowering the amount of iron in the water supply through our capital plan and operational efficiencies,” Kilpatrick said. NYAW has built seven iron removal plants in the past five years.

Construction would cost $8.75 million, Kilpatrick said, and would not cause any water rate increase for customers because it was included in the rate plan approved by the state last year. “Like all utilities, authorized capital improvement costs are included in the rates customers pay,” Kilpatrick said. NYAW officials said earlier this year that capital improvements can lead to increased rates.

Kilpatrick said neighboring residents will be notified about the Nov. 28 hearing and a community meeting will be held to discuss the project. Karen Montalbano, president of the Baldwin Civic Association, said she was not aware of NYAW’s plans and would not comment on anything she was not aware of.