After taking a hard look at the city’s explanation of the massive cost overruns for the Croton Water Treatment plant being built in Van Cortlandt Park, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz says the numbers simply don’t add up.

This week, Dinowitz’s office released a report refuting the Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) assertion that ballooning costs were mostly due to unanticipated spikes in inflation and labor and material costs.

"When it comes to the Croton Water Treatment Project, the DEP has a problem telling the truth," he said in a press release. "Whether they are attempting a cover-up or are simply not informed remains to be determined. That’s why I’m calling for hearings and investigations. But the bottom line is that the DEP will say anything to justify this out-of-control project regardless of whether it’s based on fact."

Joined by seven other members of the Bronx Assembly Delegation, Dinowitz is calling for investigations and public hearings into the cost overruns.

Dinowitz also took issue with a statement made by DEP Commissioner Emily Lloyd at a recent Riverdale town hall meeting on Oct. 30. Lloyd said an "expert panel" had determined that rising cost overruns at the plant were unavoidable, but Dinowitz is skeptical, calling the panel a farce.

"A public agency claiming to convene a secret panel and using the resulting report to respond to legitimate concerns about the largest construction project in the city’s history is an outrage," Dinowitz said in a press release.