Mailing Address/General Info

Albany County Water Purification District
112 State Street, Basement, Albany, New York 12207
Phone: (518) 447-1611 Fax: (518) 433-0369
Office Hours: 8:00AM-4:00PM

Weekends and Emergencies (518) 447-1629

Physical Addresses

North Treatment Plant
1 Canal Rd. South | Menands, NY 12204
Phone: (518) 447-1611

North Plant Garage:  (518) 447-1639

South Treatment Plant
209 Church Street, Port of Albany | Albany, NY 12202
Phone:  (518) 447-1611

Contact Information

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) requires dental facilities to install and maintain dental amalgam separators to prevent the discharge of mercury waste to wastewater treatment plants.

In July 2017, the EPA published new regulations for dental offices in the Code of Federal Regulations, 40 CFR Part 441.  

• Amalgam separators must be installed and maintained in accordance with NYSDEC regulations: 6 CRR-NY 374-4.2 and 40 CFR Part 441.
• Existing dental facilities that discharge to the Albany County Water Purification District (ACWPD) must submit a one time compliance form to us by October 12, 2020. 
• New dental facilities that discharge to the ACWPD must submit a one time compliance form to the us 30 days following the introduction of wastewater to the ACWPD.
• Dental facilities that have previously completed NYSDEC compliance forms must file the new one time compliance form to meet the requirements of 40 CFR Part 441.

Directions to Albany County Water Purification District North Plant

1 Canal Road South, Menands, NY  12204

From Thruway Exit 24 proceed East on I-90 to Exit 6A I-787 (6.2 miles). Take I-787 North to Exit 6 (1.5 miles);

From Thruway Exit 23 proceed North on I-787 to Exit 6 (4.8 miles);

From Route 7 proceed to Watervliet exit, proceed South on I-787 to Exit 6 (4.7 miles);

From I-90 East, proceed to Exit 6A, I-787 North to Troy. Proceed North on I-787 North to Exit 6 (0.7 miles);

Take a left at the end of the Exit 6 ramp onto Broadway (Route 32) South. Proceed .3 miles to a left on Simmons Lane. Cross the railroad tracks and take a right onto Canal Road South, which leads to the entrance of the plant.

Directions to Albany County Water Purification District South Plant

209 Church Street, Albany, NY  12202

From Thruway Exit 24 proceed East on I-90 to Exit 6A I-787 (6.2 miles). South on I-787 to Exit 3B Madison Avenue (1.8 miles);

From Route 7 proceed to Watervliet exit to I-787 South. Proceed to Madison Avenue exit (7.6 miles);

From I-90 East to Exit 6A, I-787 South to Albany. Proceed to Madison Avenue - Exit 3B (1.8 miles);

Take a left at the end of the exit ramp, bear left to traffic light (0.2 miles). Take right onto Broadway/Port of Albany. Proceed to STOP sign at Church Street (0.4 miles). Take left on Church Street and proceed .4 miles to plant entrance on the right.

From Thruway Exit 23 proceed North on I-787 to Exit 2 - Port of Albany (0.7 miles). At the end of the exit ramp take right onto Church Street. Proceed .5 miles to plant entrance on the right.

• Capital Improvement Plan Engineering Report (June 2023)
• Sludge Processing Improvements Study (Jun 23, 2023)
• Sewer Use Ordinance, Local Law F, 2008
• Industrial and Commercial Discharger Questionnaire
• Mercury Minimization Policy

Annual Reports

• 2022 Annual Report
• 2021 Annual Report
• 2020 Annual Report
• 2019 Annual Report
• 2018 Annual Report

Plant tours are suspended indefinitely. 

This page will be updated when plant tours can be resumed.

The Industrial Pretreatment Program maintains State and Federal compliance and prevents any upset or interference to the District’s North and South Plants, while aiding in the economic development of the District’s eight member communities.

The Industrial Pretreatment Program received EPA approval May 1984 and was revised in March 1992, in accordance with 40 CFR Parts 403 and 122.

The District has 10 permitted Significant Industrial Users and seven permitted Industrial Users with flows ranging from 25,000 gallons per day to 2.5 million gallons per day.

The District owns and maintains two interceptor lines and one trunk line.

The one 54-inch Hudson River Trunk Collection System transports wastewater to the South Plant servicing 90% of the City of Albany and the entire Port of Albany.

The two interceptor sewers transport wastewater to the North Plant facility, a 72-inch Hudson River Interceptor and a 60-inch Patroon Creek Interceptor. These two interceptors service all eight communities and have the unique capability of monitoring at over thirty flow metering stations, which the District uses for billing purposes.

The District is also under contractual obligation to clean and maintain over twenty regulator chambers located throughout the system. The District owns a VAC-CON vacuum/jet truck capable of collecting up to six yards of debris and jetting over 3,000 gallons of water at 2,000 psi, making sewer cleaning very efficient and cost effective.

We own and operate two wastewater treatment facilities, designated North and South, which provide secondary treatment to the wastewater of eight communities in Albany County.

The North Plant is located in Menands and is designed to treat an average daily flow of 35 MGD.

The South Plant is located in the Port of Albany and is designed to treat an average daily flow of 19 MGD, while it is permitted and effectively treats 29 MGD.

The South Plant treats wastes for the City of Albany as well as the entire Port of Albany, whereas the North Plant treats wastes originating from a portion of the Cities of Albany, Cohoes, and Watervliet, parts of the Towns of Colonie and Guilderland and the Villages of Colonie, Menands and Green Island. Industrial discharges for each member community is governed under the District's approved Pretreatment Program.

Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Discharge Notification System

The Albany Pool Communities have jointly developed a web-based information service that provides easy access to alerts for potential CSO activity in the Capital region.

• Website
• Brochure

• General Permit Rules and Regulations for Sanitary Hauled Waste [rev. September 2021]
• Waste Hauler Permit Application Checklist
• Waste Hauler Permit Application Form
• Schedule of Charges and Fees [updated January 2024]
• Hauled Waste Disposal Request
• Daily Worksheet
• Example Daily Worksheet

• April–October
  • Open Monday through Friday
    8:00 AM–3:00 PM
  • Weekends by appointment only
    To schedule an appointment, please call (518) 447-1611 Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM-3:00 PM
• November–March
  • By appointment only
    To schedule an appointment, please call (518) 447-1611 Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM-3:00 PM

North Treatment Plant
1 Canal Rd. South | Menands, NY 12204

This is a self-service discharge station.

You must use your own hose to discharge into a porthole to ensure there is no surface discharge.

IMPORTANT! Please read carefully:

• You MUST use a hose properly placed into the discharge port
• Any surface spills or discharges MUST be cleaned up before you leave, or you may be subject to fines
• This location is ONLY for discharge of domestic RV wastewater. Discharge of any other material is prohibited and subject to fines
• NO hoses are available for cleaning purposes
• NO water is available to fill freshwater or greywater tanks

Welcome to the Albany County Water Purification District! In 2018, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of our formation.

The District was formed in 1968 by resolution 45 of the County Legislature. That resolution was preceded by the Albany County Comprehensive Sewerage Study of March 1966 and Albany County Wastewater Facility report of 1968. The District facilities have been in continuous operation since April 1974. The original construction costs totaled over $71M and were 87.5% grant funded; 65% Federal and 22.5% from NYS.

2018 marked our 44th year of providing wastewater transportation and treatment service to our eight member communities serving a population of over 200,000, while improving the water environment and protecting public health.

The District has made numerous changes throughout the years revolutionizing our industry. Many upgrades and plant improvement projects have reduced energy consumption thus reducing our carbon footprint. We are embracing the national “Utilities of the Future” initiative with the implementation of innovative projects such as the North Plant Cogeneration and the South Plant Beneficial / Productive Use of Secondary Effluent. With the completion of the North and South Disinfection facilities in 2014, that investment will reach $40M over the past two decades.

We have embarked on a new era of taking the next step toward improving the water quality of the Hudson River with the approval of the fifteen year Combined Sewer Overflow Long Term Control Plan.

I am proud of our professional staff and our history of regulatory compliance, as we celebrate our 50th anniversary.

I encourage you to browse this website to get more information about the programs and services that we provide. We have a dedicated staff of wastewater and environmental professionals who are committed to improving water quality of the Hudson River and protecting the public health of the greater community. We encourage you to contact us to take a tour through our facility.

Angelo S. Gaudio
Executive Director