Newburgh announces completion of $32M north interceptor sewer improvement project

CITY OF NEWBURGH - A $32 million sewer project that will keep millions of gallons of sewage out of the Hudson River every year has been completed in Newburgh.

The city of Newburgh held a news conference Tuesday to announce the completion of the North Interceptor Sewer Improvement Project.

And they held it at the foot of Broadway, overlooking the river that will be the project's primary beneficiary.

"They said it couldn't be done," said Mayor Torrance Harvey, one of several speakers. "Give it up, Newburgh!"

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And it was under the cross street at the location of the news conference, Colden Street, that the new interceptor line was placed, in an underground area cleared by a tunnel-boring machine that had to drill through solid rock.

The work began in January 2023.

By the time it was over, 7,300 feet of city streets had been repaved in areas that had to be excavated to install portions of the new interceptor.

Speakers emphasized how the project was a result of cooperation by multiple government agencies, all of whom contributed to the funding, including $10 million from the state Department of Environmental Conservation's Water Quality Improvement Program; $11 million from the state Environmental Facilities Corporation's Water Infrastructure Improvement Act; $3.5 million from the bipartisan federal Infrastructure Law: and $2 million from the American Rescue Act.

Other agencies, including New York's Clean Water State Revolving Fund, provided smaller amounts.

And as state Assemblyman Jonathan Jacobson noted, there was "minimal or no cost to Newburgh's taxpayers."

Now that the new interceptor is online, Jacobson said, "56 million gallons of raw sewage will not be dumped in the Hudson River every year."

Another speaker, Madeline Feaster, the habitat restoration project manager for Riverkeeper, said pollution from sewage is a major hurdle faced by the Hudson and other rivers.

"This is a major victory," Feaster said. "That's why we have to keep improvements like this coming."

Harvey said the interceptor's completion will also be a key ingredient in the future redevelopment and restoration of the city.

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"We have set a new standard for a new Newburgh," Harvey said. "The city of Newburgh is back."

And, he hinted, Tuesday's news conference might be the first of many on that comeback trail.

"There are more surprises to come," Harvey said.

Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record and the Poughkeepsie Journal. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com.

This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Newburgh announces completion of $32M north interceptor sewer improvement project