Two years after Saratoga County first approached Clifton Park about buying into the county’s water plan, confusion surrounds the future of Clifton Park’s water supply.
The county water plan, which is the largest public works project in the history of Saratoga, was the main focus of the town board meeting on Monday, May 21.
The plan will draw water from the Hudson River and distribute it to communities throughout the county. Participation by communities in the plan is voluntary.
The county water authority said it already had agreements with the towns of Wilton and Ballston.
The plan is estimated to take between 20 and 24 months to complete and is expected to cost $67 million.
Thirty three million dollars of that cost will come from state grants. The rest of the funding will come from a combination of public and private debt, which will be paid from the sale of water.
The county plan calls for an initial cost of $2.05 per 1,000 gallons of water with a maximum price increase of 1.5 percent per year for the next 10 years. Currently residents pay at least $3.53 per 1,000 gallons, with costs based on gallons used.
Helmut Gerstenberger, chairman of the Clifton Park Water Authority, said this stability was a key component of the county’s plan.
As a public water authority, it’s very important that we look to long-term negotiated contracts to ensure price stability, said Gerstenberger. `This 10-year price guarantee for us is a critical component to ensure we have that.`
Gerstenberger said the town water authority will decide whether or not to adopt the county’s plan by the end of the year.
Clifton Park resident Barbara Murphy said she was concerned about the environmental implications of the project.
`Water is like oil; it’s the next shortfall,` said Murphy. `We’re in a crunch — should we be consuming large quantities of water?`
Jack Lawler, chairman of the Saratoga County Water Authority and Waterford supervisor, put the proposed water usage in perspective.
`The Hudson flows 700 million gallons per day, so 7 million gallons per day is an immaterial impact on the Hudson River,` said Lawler. `If water is the next oil, we’re one rich county.`
Lawler promised to keep prices as low as possible for communities that commit to buy water from the project.
`Our objective is to pay the debt, salaries and operating expenses, and keep the rates as low as possible,` Lawler said. `Our job is not to make money selling water.`
Clifton Park Supervisor Philip Barrett also said of concern to the town was the estimated $1.5 million it would cost to connect to the county’s pipeline if the town agreed to buy water from the plan.
Also at Monday’s meeting, the board appropriated $5,000 to the Clifton Park Soccer Club to support the International Soccer Tournament in July and honored high school student Lauren Wolfe for her community service.“