Addressing an Issue of Public Safety 

For 20 years, stormwater and raw sewage has plagued residents of Mount Vernon, New York. The city's old, corroded and overburdened sewer system and a chronically clogged downstream connection resulted in backups into residents' houses.  

The West Third Street Pump Station project is a unique partnership between the state, county and city that begins to remediate the decades of problems with the sewage system. The $7 million project is part of a $150 million investment supporting the environmental justice community aimed to modernize their infrastructure while remedying historic wrongs.  

The project permanently reroutes the sewers; transforms the existing chamber into an underground pump station; installs new and repairs existing sewer lines; and connects a natural gas generator for uninterrupted service. Developed alongside the community, the project provides reliable wastewater collection and service for more than 4,000 residents, offers hope for the community, increases job opportunities, and beautifies the area.  

The complex construction sequencing required repairing and replacing the receiving sewer, then constructing a new sewer and maintenance hole, inspecting and cleaning the sewers leading to the downstream connection, then finally, building the new pump station inside the existing discharge chamber 30 feet below the street surface.  

Completed on budget and on schedule, the West Third Street Pump Station project is a unique solution to decades of problems with Mount Vernon's sewer system.