The Orange County Land Trust and Orange County Water Authority have protected 13.5 acres of forest in the Town of New Windsor.
The project’s primary objective is to safeguard water quality of Brown’s Pond, also known as Silver Stream Reservoir, which is a backup drinking water source for the City of Newburgh.
The importance of protecting land around Brown’s Pond is cited in the Town of New Windsor’s 2021 Comprehensive Plan. The Orange County Water Authority’s Moodna Creek Watershed Conservation and Management Plan also underscores the need for adequate buffers to protect water resources from runoff and impacts from surrounding development.
The Orange County Water Authority was awarded a NYS Water Quality Improvement Program (WQIP) grant by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation in 2018 to protect land that, if developed, would negatively impact sources of drinking water for the City of Newburgh. A portion of the grant funded the purchase of a conservation easement from the landowners of the 13.5 acre property, the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Visit DEC’s WQIP website for more information about the WQIP program, click here.
