Clear way for water work
Lawmakers give initial OK to borrow for Cooper Lake improvements
City lawmakers have given initial approval for the Kingston Water Department to borrow $7 million, clearing the way for officials to apply for grants to help pay for state-mandated improvements to the Cooper Lake reservoir dam and water supply intake.
Debi Sheeley, the chief water plant operator for the Kingston Water Department, told the Common Council’s Finance and Audit Committee on Wednesday that borrowing authorization was needed so her department could apply for
a grant through the state Water Infrastructure Investment Act. She said the grant would be used to help pay for the first two of three phases of a $12 million dam remediation project.
Cooper Lake, located in the town of Woodstock, is the main source of Kingston’s water. The state Department of Environmental Conservation issued dam safety regulations in 2009 that require owners to make detailed engineering evaluations and bring their dams into compliance with current engineering standards.
While the Cooper Lake dam was found to be safe, the state said it needed improvements to comply with the new safety standard.
“The dam is not compromised,” Sheeley told the committee. “It’s not unsafe. It’s just when they built it in the early 1900s, the pitch and the face of the dam are too steep according to today’s new laws.” She added that the pipes are nearly 100-years-old and the flow meters need to be updated, among other work.
Water Department Superintendent Judith Hansen has said the deadline to apply for the grant is Sept. 13. She said if the grant is approved, the Water Department could receive up to $3 million to help pay for the first two phases of work. The balance of the cost for those phases would be paid through a low-interest loan from the Environmental Facility Corporation’s Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund, she added.
The committee moved forward a resolution authorizing the $7 million in borrowing. It must still go to the full council for approval next month. The Common Council must give permission to the Water Department to borrow funding.
Phase one of the project would be the construction of a temporary interconnection with the Ashokan Reservoir, while phase two would be the construction of a new water supply intake. Phase three would be the dam remediation.
Sheeley said in order for the dam to be remediated, the water level in Cooper Lake would need to be dropped 15 feet. The temporary interconnection with the Ashokan Reservoir would provide Kingston with a water source in the event a drought occurred while the dam construction was taking place, she said.
“This is a backup supply in the event of a drought,” Sheeley said. She added that the dam remediation phase of the project does not qualify for grant funding under the Water Infrastructure Investment Act. Sheeley said Hansen would come to the council with additional funding requests for phase three.
When the dam repair first was considered in 2014, the total cost was estimated at $5 million. Hansen had said when the earlier estimate was done, there was very little detailed design work completed for the project. The more detailed look and design led to the higher cost, she said.