Proposal on table to deliver Clapper Road water to residential customers
Bethlehem’s 2011 budget
is shaping up to effect major changes across town operations, but one component that could make a seven-figure splash is still up in the air: the town’s water system.
Included in the tentative draft of the town’s budget, which has several weeks of scrutiny ahead of it, is a provision to wed output from the town’s Clapper Road and New Salem water treatment plants into a unified water system.
It’s a measure that came up about 15 years ago, when the Clapper Road plant was first constructed, and has been something of a hot potato issue since. Public concerns at the time over the quality of the water, which is drawn from well fields near the Hudson River, kept the plant’s water flowing only to industrial users and a handful of residences.
But today is a different day, and for town finances, it’s a difficult day. Due to approaching federal regulations, something must be done with the town’s water system and of the three option on the table, unifying the system is the cheaper option.
`The economy is such that it draws attention to the fact that we have to look at all policy choices,` Supervisor Sam Messina said. `I’m willing to go with the information I’ve seen to present this, hear from the public, have board discussion on this… To my way of thinking, this should have been done years ago.`
He added all the data collected by the town over the years indicate the water from the Clapper Road plant is perfectly safe.
On Wednesday, Sept. 8, the town’s Department of Public Works will make a detailed presentation to the Town Board on this plan and two alternatives: starting upgrades to the New Salem plant next year or altering a contract with the City of Albany to buy more of their water.
`The option of leveraging that Clapper Road facility is a money saver, and the other two alternatives have substantial up-front cost,` said Deputy Commissioner of Public Works Erik Deyoe. `I’ve got a lot more treatment capacity at the plant than I’ve got demand right now.`
Clapper Road only operates at about 40 percent capacity. Opening up Clapper Road would defer the replacement of the New Salem plant for 10 years or more, said Deyoe, and save the town $1 million or more every year once the switch is flipped ` or, more accurately, the handle is turned.
`The actual unification of the distribution systems ` there’s a series of valves that need to be opened up, but those valves exist today,` Deyoe said.
Some upgrades would have to be made at Clapper Road, but the work would be equally necessary under the other contingencies.
Unifying the water system is built into the draft budget the supervisor is working on now. If it is taken out and another option pursued, it’s another $1.5 to $2 million that would have to be found elsewhere.
Councilman Kyle Kotary, who has been critical of the budget numbers produced so far, said building this plan into the budget is folly given the fact a public outcry originally kept the water from widespread distribution and there are only a few weeks left before a budget is due.
`There’s a $2 million assumption baked into this predicated on the assumption that the public this time around will be OK with opening up the Clapper Road plant and merging the water systems,` he said. `I just want to make sure that there’s adequate time for the public to voice their opinions and concerns.`
Councilman Mark Hennessey also agreed that public input will be vital to the process.
`It’s an entire community that, at least 10 years ago, was deeply opposed to this,` he said.
The Town Board will meet Wednesday, Sept. 8, at 6 p.m. in Town Hall.
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