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a subsidiary of SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT, the world's largest pure environmental services company -- signed a 20-year contract agreement with officials of Nassau County, N.Y., to operate, manage and maintain the county's wastewater treatment plants, pumping stations and sewers. The system handles the sewage from 1.2 million people on Long Island and treats it for disposal into environmentally-sensitive estuaries.

With a value of more than $1.2 billion, United Water will be responsible for the largest water-related public-private partnership (PPP) to date in the United States. In addition to hiring the company as a management and operations expert, Nassau County will invest more than $830 million in the sewer system over the next several years. The County will make the investment with support from a grant it has secured from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to permanently fix damages caused by Hurricane Sandy, which devastated much of the eastern coast in 2012, as well as harden resilience to future storms.

United Water will provide advanced technology and management expertise; improve the system's operating efficiency and performance on environmental standards; clean discharges to meet New York State Environmental Protection Department standards; and eliminate odors from the Bay Park, Cedar Creek and the Glen Cove sewage treatment plants. It will also provide transparency on its performance by posting operational data and live video feeds from facilities and outflow pipes on its web site -- an industry first.

"This partnership was formed to dramatically improve the County's ability to protect our environment and the health and well-being of our residents. Together with United Water, we will implement unprecedented advances in environmental protection, odor control, management efficiencies, plant aesthetics, and public information," said Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano. "Furthermore, this effort permits a more effective and efficient management of the plants and sewage system following the Federal government's significant investment in storm hardening of our infrastructure."

United Water will guarantee cost savings of more than $230 million throughout the contract's duration. More than half the savings will come from operational efficiencies and other benefits to the county. These include reducing energy consumption, chemical use, sludge generation, and disposal costs, as well as reinforcing the facilities with industry-leading technology to control and manage the operations.

The partnership between United Water and Nassau County is supported by a broad range of community and environmental advocacy groups, including Operation SPLASH, the Point Lookout Civic Association, the Nature Conservancy on Long Island, Concerned Citizens for the Environment, Sludge Stoppers Taskforce, and the New York League of Conservation Voters.