NYC waits for resolution of village water status
New York City officials are ready to take an overland route to provide water to New Paltz customers.
New York City Department of Environmental Protection officials are ready to take an overland route to provide water to village customers if the proposed district on Plains Road doesn’t materialize before the pending Catskill Aqueduct shutdown.
City Deputy Commissioner Paul Rush said Thursday that legal issues with the Plains Road system need to be resolved by the end of summer.
“We’ve been saying we need to make a decision as soon as possible so we could get the contract out on the street,” he said. “We’re looking to go to advertise it as early as this fall for the construction project.”
Officials are developing a backup water source for several planned, 10-week shutdowns from 2018 to 2020. The shutdowns are needed for improvements to the Catskill and Delaware aqueduct systems, which are owned and operated by New York City, but also provide water locally.
The city will pay for the backup system to continue to provide water to the village.
Town Board members on Feb. 25, 2016, established Water District No. 5, covering 86 properties along a section of Plains Road. Officials have reported there are 22 homes that will initially be connected to the system, with other properties within the district not charged unless they connect to the system.
City officials developed an alternative to the district after a lawsuit was filed by one of the property owners, who contends incorrect procedures were used to form the district. Under the alternate plan, there would be a 2.3-mile line temporarily laid from the Delaware Aqueduct in Gardiner to the New Paltz village system.
The city will pay for either the district infrastructure or the temporary lines. Rush said the temporary line would be slightly less expensive, but would not provide a long-term backup water source if the city system needs to be shut down again.
“One of the points we’ve made to New Paltz time and time again is, what happens if there is an emergency at the Ashokan and we can’t get water through the Catskill Aqueduct,” Rush said.
“We have two other systems that we can tap into and the city will be fine,” he said. “Every other community along the way either has a backup supply or has one in construction. New Paltz is the only one of 74 that doesn’t and that’s why we’ve been encouraging them so much.”