Building the largest-yielding domestic water supply wells in New York

New Windsor, N.Y. — Water is a precious resource that some take for granted. The residents and town officials in New Windsor, N.Y., do not fall into this category after decades of searching for high-quality, affordable water. The town is now sourcing water from its own system for its 23,000 residents and those of the neighboring town of Newburgh, N.Y., which lost its Delaware Aqueduct source due to tunnel construction under the Hudson River.

A water filtration building and three well houses make up the new system, and these facilities are comprised of precast concrete buildings. The town engineers selected Easi-Set Buildings manufactured by Oldcastle Infrastructure, an Easi-Set Building licensed producer in Easton, Pa., for the speed of construction, durability, corrosion-resistance and affordability.

“Not all materials can stand up to the damaging and corrosive nature of water like concrete,” says Moffette Tharpe, managing director of Easi-Set Worldwide. “Precast concrete buildings are a trusted source for the water and wastewater market because they do not deteriorate in wet or humid conditions.”

The three pump houses are composed of 22-foot by 28-foot Easi-Set Buildings. The water filtration building is a 70-foot by 105-foot Easi-Set Building; Oldcastle manufactured the walls for this structure. All the buildings have a broom finish, and they were erected by Darlind Associates Inc., Lagrangeville, N.Y. Easi-Set Buildings are custom solutions manufactured in a factory, minimizing the effects of weather, trades coordination and labor issues. Precast concrete buildings cost less than comparable built-in-place construction, and they are installed in just hours, not weeks or months.

New Windsor arrived at the decision to build a new system after sourcing its water from wells in the 1970s, until the town grew beyond the well capacity. Water then was supplied by the Catskill Aqueduct, most recently costing $1.2 million in payments to New York City. In addition to the growing price tag, the water supply was occasionally shut down because of poor quality. In the search for a new source, the town was fortunate to discover a significant aquifer to develop three water supply wells. Each well yields more than 1,000 gallons per minute for a total water supply of 6.4 million gallons per day, twice the town’s average daily demand.

“The town is proud to say that these wells are no doubt the largest yielding domestic water supply wells in the state of New York,” adds Dick McGoey, PE, with New Windsor-based Mcgoey Hauser and Edsall D.P.C. The firm serves as the engineers for the town of New Windsor.

New Windsor officials were under a deadline to complete the project in time for the shutdown of the Catskill Aqueduct, and they met that deadline. The buildings were delivered in February, and the water system was completed by August. The total project cost about $20 million with $12 million contributed by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.

“Prefabricated Easi-Set Buildings are constructed in climate-controlled environments, ensuring quality control measures are met,” Tharpe says. “Within weeks of planning, a customized precast concrete building can be off the assembly line and at a jobsite for installation.”