The Saratoga Water Authority received its much sought after permit to build a countywide water system from the Department of Environmental Conservation Monday, March 3.
The Water Supply permit, which was initially provided to Saratoga County, was never reissued to the county water authority when requested on Nov. 22, 2006, pending the DEC’s review of a second application showing plan use and impact.
The water system is planned to supply water to a proposed Advanced Micro Devices chip-fab facility in the Luther Forest Technology Campus, most of which is in the Town of Malta.
I think it’s great, said Paul Sausville, Town of Malta supervisor. `It’s great for us and great for the (Luther Forest) tech park.`
DEC officials contacted on March 10 would not comment as to what exactly facilitated the reissue of the permit, but the permit was issued exactly a week from when AMD said it would use 3 million gallons of water per day at its onset. This figure is 150 percent of the water authority’s initial projected use.
`The water is needed if we’re going to draw the technology base to the area, and it’s much needed by the community as well,` Sausville said.
The permit authorizes the authority to install and complete a water supply and transmission system. It also allows the authority to take a new supply of water up to 14 million gallons per day from the upper Hudson River in the Town of Moreau.
According to the permit issued by the DEC, `This project includes the construction of an intake structure and pumping station, a new water filtration plant, a treated water storage tank, a high service pump station, a five million gallon storage tank, and 28 miles of 30 and 36 inch transmission main from Moreau to Malta.`
The DEC also transferred ownership on four other permits from the county to the water authority.
Water authority officials said they are contracted with customers to supply 3 million gallons of water per day during a Clifton Park Water Authority meeting Wednesday, Feb. 20.
The towns of Wilton and Ballston are contracted with the water authority.
The county’s plan is to draw water from the Hudson River in Moreau and pipe it along the Northway to the southern end of the county, where it will serve the Luther Forest Technology Campus.
The $67 million project, which is dependent on a $4.8 million loan from the county general fund until the plant is in its seventh year of operation, is funded through $33 million in grants from sources including the Dormitory Authority and the Empire State Development Corporation.
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