Port Washington sewer district defends contract that would nearly double Manorhaven’s treatment costs

North Hempstead Port Washington sewer district defends contract that would nearly double Manorhaven’s treatment costs By Larissa Fuentes … Comments Posted on November 10, 2026 Port Washington Water Pollution Control District Commissioner Melanie Cassens presented residents with reasonings for the increase. Larissa Fuentes The Port Washington Water Pollution Control District defended a proposed contract Nov. 9, that would sharply raise what the Village of Manorhaven pays to treat its sewage, in a meeting that ended with officials from both sides trading barbs before a packed room. Manorhaven is not part of the district. It runs its own collection system and pays the district to treat its wastewater under a contract dating to 2006. That agreement expired June 30, and the district extended it six months. The new contract would take effect Jan. 1, 2027. According to the commissioners, Manorhaven’s annual charge would rise from about $1.35 million to $2.375 million, a roughly 76 percent increase. They estimate it would mean a 40% property tax increase for village residents. Commissioner Melanie Cassens, who presented the district’s case, said the old formula charged Manorhaven only a share of administrative and employee benefit costs, leaving district residents to cover part of the expense. The new method would divide the district’s adjusted 2027 budget of about $9.3 million by total wastewater flow, yielding about $1.24 per 100 gallons. The budget excludes the district’s own collection pump stations, which Manorhaven does not use, but includes about $4.9 million for employee benefits, insurance and debt service on bonds for projects dating to 2008. District attorney Gregory Carman said the goal was equal treatment. “We don’t look to make a profit on you,” he told the room, adding that the change corrects a contract negotiated 20 years ago. The contract would also set a maximum daily flow limit of 1.15 million gallons for the first time. Manorhaven averages about 580,000 gallons a day, Cassens said. Flow above the limit would cost $1 per 100 gallons extra, though a first violation would bring only a notice and a corrective action plan. Commissioner Joseph D’Alonzo said the limit was not the district’s idea. “This is not coming from the sewer district,” he said. “The state is mandating it.” Port Washington Water Pollution Control District Superintendent Windsor Kinney said heavy rain drives spikes as stormwater seeps into aging pipes. They urged the village to install manhole inserts and line pipes, and said the village told them it lacked the money. “When you lower your flow, the cost goes down,” Kinney said. Asked whether the district reviews development in Manorhaven, D’Alonzo said it does not, because the village is a contract customer. “It’s kind of like the fire department. We’re not here to judge the development,” he said, noting the plant has capacity for about 4 million gallons a day and treats about 2 million. That answer drew pushback from residents angry about recent projects, including a 49-unit condominium complex at 30 Sagamore Hill Drive. Ken Kraft, who criticized the mayor and board for approving large developments, said, “My fellow Manhaven residents, please break out your checkbooks as our building keeps building.” Cassens said officials applied the new formula to three Manorhaven homes as if they were in the district. One would pay $5.67 more a year, one about $22 more, and one about $190 less. She said the district does not know how the village bills its own residents. A Nov. 4 letter from Mayor John Popeleski to the North Hempstead Town Board voiced “strong and unyielding opposition” to the district’s budget and said the village is being asked to pay for capital projects that do not benefit it. The letter said the district’s budget rises 12 percent while its own taxpayers face a levy increase of less than 1 percent. It also said the village filed an Article 78 petition in Nassau County Supreme Court after receiving partial responses to Freedom of Information Law requests. District officials did not address those claims in the portions of the meeting reviewed. Trustee Christine Zahn urged a gradual approach. “A million dollars in one fell swoop is a lot of money for everyone to absorb,” she said, suggesting a “stepped approach.” Popeleski, who spoke late in the meeting, said the village has pursued grants to fix its pipes. “It isn’t like we’re not trying, we really are,” he said, adding that a $4 million state grant was rejected over a technicality in a resolution. The district said it sent the village a draft contract June 3 and received its first response Nov. 5. The village disputed that, saying it had trouble scheduling a joint meeting. “We gave our side, you got your side,” Carman said as the meeting wound down. “We’re not gonna solve it tonight.” About the Author All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines . Schneps Media does not endorse the views shared by readers in our comment sections.