Thorough Safety Measures Protect Peekskill Residents
Physical Safety
The project plan includes the following operational safeguards:
24/7 Monitoring
24/7 monitoring allows operators to identify and respond to any issue in real time. In an emergency like a fire, a rapid shutdown safely cuts power to the system and can be activated within seconds.
City management and local fire officials are collaborating with project owners on emergency planning, including site walk-throughs and clearly posted shutdown procedures, so responders are fully prepared to efficiently and effectively respond to any incident.
Isolation Stop Gate
The project team is investing in the installation of a stop gate, which isolates the two pre-treatment reservoirs, allowing one side to be taken offline if needed without disrupting water service or treatment operations.
Security Fencing
The reservoir site is fully fenced and secured, restricting public access to the array and the water body.
Weatherproof Glass
The system uses bifacial solar panels fully encapsulated in glass, limiting any potential for material contact with the water. The glass is designed to stand up to weather extremes typical to New York state including rain, wind, ice, and snow. The engineering firm behind the design builds floating arrays in Florida that are rated for Category 5 hurricane conditions, demonstrating expert-level amelioration of extreme weather interaction with every element of the floating solar panel installation.
Strict Safety Standards
The solar panels, floats, and anchors are certified to EU & UK safety standards, which are far more strict than U.S. standards. The solar panels will have no contact with the water. Instead they are supported by floats made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE), a food grade-compliant material widely used in municipal water infrastructure. The HDPE is free from BPA, phthalates, and PFAS, and is UV-stabilized for long-term outdoor exposure with a service life of over 50 years.
In the unlikely event the floats sustain physical damage and as a result produce HDPE fragments, the Water Department's normal treatment regimen — sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection — would remove particulates before distribution.
Of all the floating solar panel systems installed on drinking water reservoirs, no negative impacts on water quality or safety have been reported. The longest-running floating solar installation has been in operation for 10+ years and serves 2-3 million people.
Water Quality & Testing
The Peekskill Water Department will conduct regular water testing using its current regimen which tests for over 125 contaminants. It will also conduct additional tests as required by the New York State Department of Health. These additional tests will come at no cost to the taxpayer and will instead be paid by the project owner.
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The certifications for the panels, floats, and anchors all meet or exceed UK standards for safety which are far more strict than U.S. standards. The UK standard evaluates effects on odor, flavor, and appearance, as well as extraction of metals and other substances of concern to public health, so Peekskill residents can expect no changes in their drinking water taste, smell, or safety.
Ciel & Terre's HDPE floats are certified safe for drinking water contact under four internationally recognized certifications and standards: NSF 61, NSF 14, AWWA C901/C906, and BS 6920. Each represents independent, third-party verification that the material is safe for direct contact with water intended for human consumption, covering odor, flavor, harmful substance extraction, microbial growth, metal leaching, and structural integrity.
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Further, Arcadis, a water quality industry leader that has provided engineering and technical support to over 60 water treatment plants nationally, has confirmed no negative water quality impacts are expected based on the materials used, construction, the installation and use, and maintenance plan.
