Water customers say concerns ignored

Customers in the West Hurley service area of Hudson Valley Water Cos. say their concerns about poor water quality and unannounced service interruptions are not being taken seriously by the system’s owners.

Customer Angela Gaudioso said at Monday’s meeting of the Hurley Town Board said the shutoffs, for the purpose making repairs,are persistent.

“Particularly in the last couple of years, [there have been], chronic problems of shutoffs [and] no notifications,” she said. “We just had one a couple of days ago. It wasn’t too long, but the one prior to that was all throughout March into early April where it was shut off, we couldn’t use the water. There was a chronic leak that they never could find.”

The complaints come as Hudson Valley Water Cos. seeks a 13 percent increase in rates for all five of its service areas in Ulster County. In addition to the West Hurley, which has 67 connections and three condominiums serviced by three wells, the company also serves Mount Marion (212 connections and an elementary school using two wells), High Falls (95 connections via two wells), Pine Street in Hurley (15 homes using two wells) and Boiceville (27 connections using two wells).

The ownership also oversees the Lake Lenape Water Co., which provides service to about 356 residential customers in Andover, N.J., and it not part of the requested rate increase.

Local customer Joanne Michaels, like Gaudioso, said Hudson Valley Water Cos. has not provided advance notice about shutoffs.

“I had six people come to the house Friday for a surprise 90th birthday for my mother,” she said. “No toilets, no water. I cannot tell you the stress.”

Witten comments submitted to the state Public Service Commission echoed the concerns that were brought to Hurley officials. Local resident Melinda Terpening McKnight told the commission that the water has ruined her fixtures.

“The amount of zinc chloride in the water quite literally has eaten through the seals of several small appliances and faucets,” she wrote. “It stains toilets, sinks and showers green and pink. The water has been so highly acidic that it is not potable and caused my pets to vomit daily. We now are forced to buy drinking water from a local vendor and install expensive filters on faucets.”

Another local resident, Luke Monroe, wrote that problems have existed since he, his wife and son moved into their house six years ago.

“It started within six months of living in our current home and has been ongoing,” he told the state commission. “We have had water outages for over a week, unannounced shut-offs and endured over a month without potable water.”

Hudson Valley Water Cos. President Jeffrey Fuller was not available for comment Tuesday.