Middletown Mayor Says Safe Water System Is Top Priority for City

MIDDLETOWN, N.Y.—Middletown Mayor Joseph DeStefano told The Epoch Times on April 27 that providing a safe water system is the top priority when serving the public, and that is why he is focused on expanding the city’s watershed area and updating the aging water infrastructure.

DeStefano was expanding on his April 21 State of the City Address, in which he discussed the water system projects that were developed in 2025. During the annual address, DeStefano said the old infrastructure requires large investments to remain usable and compliant with regulations.

DeStefano told The Epoch Times that expanding the watershed area for Middletown is important so that a situation like the one in which harmful chemicals entered the Newburgh water supply would not be possible. In 2016, it was found that the Stewart Air National Guard Base was the source of the chemical perfluorooctane sulfonate, contaminating the Newburgh water supply.

He noted that an industrial contamination scenario is unlikely for Middletown, as there is little development near the city’s water reservoirs.

New York state gave Middletown $5 million through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund for phase one of the raw water main project and matched the funding at a 40 percent rate, bringing the total to $8.3 million.

The raw water mains are pipes that connect the city’s more remote water sources to the main reservoir, Kinch Reservoir.

DeStefano explained that the project is expensive because the pipes are buried 30 feet to 40 feet underground and are very old. He compared them to the New York City aqueduct system, which was built more than 100 years ago.

The city also upgraded nine dams to New York State Department of Environmental Conservation standards. DeStefano said the state is conducting new regular assessments of dam structures. Middletown makes sure to keep them up to standard to prevent any potentially dangerous breaks.

The mayor talked about a $7.5 million project to protect watershed land during his State of the City speech. The city secured $6 million in state grants for the project and is partnering with engineers from CDM Smith, an engineering and construction firm based in Boston.

DeStefano said that thanks to the grant, the Middletown watershed extends 20 miles to the town of Greenville, and he said that the city has been purchasing farmland to protect water sources.

As part of the undertaking, the city purchased the former horse training facility on Guymard Turnpike in the town of Mount Hope and removed the buildings. The property will remain undeveloped, and hiking paths are possible.

DeStefano told The Epoch Times, “Part of the problem is having a horse farm right next to the creek that’s going into your reservoirs.”

He said that improving water production and infrastructure is also an economic boost for the city, as adequate water supplies attract businesses and can be sold to other regions. An agreement was made with the town of Goshen to sell some of Middletown’s water and sewer capacity that was meant for the Amy’s Kitchen construction project, which did not proceed.

“Right now we’re selling to Wawayanda, Wallkill, and the town of Goshen, and it’s a tremendous revenue generator for the city,” he said. “We’re in a position where not only do we have the water source, and we’re developing more, but we also have the distribution system.”