Westchester Joint Water Works
Outcome
EPA and DOJ reached a federal consent decree in June 2024 requiring Westchester Joint Water Works to construct a $138 million filtration plant and pay a $600,000 civil penalty to resolve long-standing SDWA violations involving excess disinfection byproducts linked to increased cancer risk.
Details
Westchester Joint Water Works — Disinfection Byproduct Consent Decree (2010–2029)
Outcome: EPA and DOJ obtained a June 2024 federal consent decree requiring a $138 million filtration plant and a $600,000 civil penalty after WJWW violated SDWA disinfection byproduct limits serving approximately 120,000 residents in Westchester County, New York.
Background
Westchester Joint Water Works (WJWW) is a public water system serving approximately 120,000 residents in the Town/Village of Harrison, Village of Mamaroneck, and Town of Mamaroneck in Westchester County, New York. The system draws water from the Kensico Reservoir and distributes it without filtration, relying on disinfection treatment.
Violations
WJWW exceeded the maximum contaminant level (MCL) for HAA5 — five regulated haloacetic acids, a class of disinfection byproducts formed when chlorine reacts with organic matter in water — under the Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (Stage 2 DDBPR). These disinfection byproducts are associated with elevated risk of bladder cancer and have been suggested in epidemiological studies to be associated with colon and rectal cancers.
EPA and the State of New York had previously issued administrative orders and obtained state court judgments requiring WJWW to design and construct a filtration plant. WJWW failed to comply with these prior directives over a period of many years.
Consent Decree Terms
On June 24, 2024, the United States, the State of New York, and WJWW lodged a consent decree in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Key requirements:
- Civil penalty: $600,000 paid to the United States and New York
- Filtration plant: WJWW must design, construct, and operate a filtration treatment facility estimated to cost $138 million, serving approximately 120,000 residents; operational deadline of July 1, 2029
- Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP): $900,000 for modifications to an extended detention basin in the Rye Lake portion of the Kensico Reservoir and invasive species management to improve source water quality
Members and Scope
WJWW is a joint water authority with member municipalities including the Town/Village of Harrison, the Village of Mamaroneck, and the Town of Mamaroneck. The consent decree covers violations at the shared regional water supply system.
The consent decree underwent a 30-day public comment period and required final court approval.
Primary Source: EPA — Westchester Joint Water Works Safe Drinking Water Act Consent Decree (2024)
How Crucible Prevents This
WJWW had been under EPA administrative orders and state court judgments requiring filtration construction for years before the 2024 consent decree — demonstrating how compliance obligations can be deferred for over a decade without hard enforcement gates. A Crucible-style enforcement control requiring capital project milestone documentation and automatic escalation when court-ordered construction deadlines slip would have accelerated compliance. The $138 million filtration plant requirement also illustrates the financial cost of deferred compliance versus proactive investment.
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