Contract for $5.7 Million Approved for Demarest Kill Dam Rehabilitation Project in New Hempstead

M.C. Millman

Rockland County Executive Ed Day recently approved a contract for up to $5.7 million to go towards the Demarest Kill Dam Rehabilitation Project in New Hempstead.

The project is expected to bring the seventy-five-year-old dam located on New Hempstead Road near Little Tor Road up to modern safety standards.

Major components of the rehabilitation include a number of methods to increase stability and prevent seepage and overflow at various points along the dam. 

The dam is located within thirty acres of parkland, including federal wetlands and a 2.5-acre pond, the Demarest Kill Stream, and its tributaries.

Originally purchased by the County in 1968 for general municipal use, the County Executive and Legislature officially opened the property to the public for recreational use in 1997. In 1998, the property was dedicated as parkland.