Rockland Sues Over Desalination Charges

Legal action has been taken by Rockland County against the Public Service Commission of the state of New York, New York State Department of Public Service and Suez Water of New York, Inc. The class action suit is intended to protect Suez New York water ratepayers having to pay for the ill-fated Haverstraw desalination plant on the Hudson River. The suit claims that the state Department of Public Services didn’t verify all of Suez’s expenditures totaling near $40M but instead relied on a sample audit of the invoices. Suez is seeking a rate increase to recoup $54M they claim they spent pursing the plant. The increase would raise the average monthly bill for Suez customers to a little over $8. Rockland County Executive Ed Day said that Rockland residents are “being asked to pay millions for a desalination plant that will never be built.”