Middletown Secures Bulk of Funding to Explore Indigot Water Source

The Indigot creek in the town of Mount Hope, N.Y., on Feb. 24, 2025. Cara Ding/The Epoch Times

ORANGE COUNTY, N.Y.—Middletown has inched one step closer to drawing water from the county-owned Indigot site to support regional economic growth, especially along the state Route 17M.

On Feb. 19, the Orange County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) board agreed to supply about $500,000 for a $700,000 feasibility study of Indigot as a regional water source. Middletown and county leaders have pledged to split the rest of the cost.

Spanning more than 1,000 acres in the towns of Mount Hope and Greenville, the Indigot site was purchased by the county in the 1980s as a potential mid-county water source. Middletown obtained exclusive water development rights on the county land in 2016.

“We think we are in the best position to partner with the county in developing this water resource,” Middletown Mayor Joseph DeStefano said at the Feb. 19 meeting, pointing to the city’s existing water infrastructure and inter-municipal water distribution agreements.

One of Middletown’s main reservoirs, Shawangunk Lake, is located near the Indigot property and positioned as a potential connector to the new water source. The city has spent tens of millions of dollars over the past years maintaining raw water lines and dams.

The city currently sells water to adjacent businesses and residences located in the towns of Wallkill and Wawayanda. It is also in talks with the town of Goshen about providing water to a proposed new commercial district along the 17M corridor.

Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus said at the meeting that the county is poised to attract major companies and good-paying jobs, highlighting his recent meetings with high-tech business leaders from Taiwan and submarine manufacturers.

“But for us to be in the game, we must provide locations where they can develop, and the lifeblood for these industries, which we all know, is water, sewer, and power,” he said.

In the latest Orange County Comprehensive Plan, the mid-county area that is anchored by Middletown and extends to Goshen via Route 17M is considered a priority growth corridor, where development is encouraged with the support of centralized water and sewer services.

Jeffrey Crist, board chairman of the Orange County IDA, said at the meeting, “I see a lot of teamwork from the county, the city of Middletown, and the towns around Middletown, and we would like to be part of this team going forward.”

Joseph Betro and Denise Quinn, supervisors in the towns of Goshen and Wawayanda, respectively, expressed support for the feasibility study in a joint letter to the IDA.

A view of Highland Lake, one of three major reservoirs in Middletown, N.Y., on Sept. 20, 2022. Cara Ding/The Epoch Times

The proposed study will examine groundwater supply through test wells along with historical data and potential environmental effects of any well and distribution line developments, such as how they will affect wetlands and the nearby Shawangunk reservoir.

CDM Smith, the main contractor, will rely on a 2008 county-commissioned Indigot groundwater assessment as a historical basis. At the time, six test wells produced 610 gallons per minute.

Because the well tests in 2008 saw significant effects on two monitoring residential wells bordering Mount Hope and Greenville, the company has decided to reduce pumping rates this time.

CDM Smith will also look into whether state laws allow the development of a reservoir at Indigot. If it proves to be a viable idea from a regulatory perspective, the company can conduct a reservoir feasibility study at an additional cost of $300,000.

County attorney Richard Golden said at the meeting that the feasibility study is classified as a Type II action under the state Environmental Quality Review Act, which means it does not significantly affect the environment and is not subject to the regulated environmental review process.

However, Golden added that Middletown must go through the state environmental review when it goes out to seek and receive funding for water infrastructure construction at the Indigot site.

DeStefano said at the meeting that the city plans to repay the IDA—and potentially the county—when it starts selling water drawn from Indigot.