City’s Drought Emergency ends

KINGSTON, N.Y. >> The city’s Drought Emergency, in place since August, ended on Wednesday, officials announced.

The Board of Water Commissioners ended the drought emergency declaration at its meeting on Wednesday, downgrading it to a drought alert, which means that water conservation measures are now voluntary.

“The elevation at the Cooper Lake Reservoir will be low for the duration of the remaining construction, and therefore the Drought Alert, which means voluntary water conservation, will remain in effect until further notice,” the city said in an announcement.

“We appreciate our residents’ cooperation in conserving water, and to the Kingston Water Department

for keeping our clean water running for the duration of this emergency,” said Kingston Mayor Steve Noble. “When the (Department of Environmental Conservation) mandated the work at Cooper Lake, we had no idea that our area would suffer such a severe drought combined with extreme temperatures. However, we had a plan in place, and thanks to the hard work of the Kingston Water Department and help from our neighbors, we were able to keep the water turned on for our residents with no service interruptions. We appreciate your continued voluntary conservation until the project is completed.”

Matthew Dysard, Kingston Water Department Superintendent said, “I would like to thank the Water Board for their support during the emergency. I would also like to thank Water Department staff who worked tirelessly throughout the emergency to locate leaks, communicate the situation to our customers, and ensure Reservoir #4 was brought online and remained activated to supply nearly 37 million gallons of water to the City over two months at the worst of the drought condition.”

The water level at Cooper lake was lowered 10 feed below the maximum capacity in July 2021 to allow for construction work at Cooper Lake, which is the main water source for the city. “This level must be maintained for the duration of the dam construction, which is expected to be completed by late summer 2023,” the city said.

More at https://kingstonny.gov/water.