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Photos by Robert Ford
Tuesday, Sept. 29 was a rough day for residents that live along the Plattekill Creek, as homes were flooded, firefighters conducted evacuations, much of the Village Beach was washed away and the village’s water treatment plant had to be shut down.
Mike Hopf, village water superintendent, said about 5.5 inches of rain fell within a 24-hour period, swelling the Plattekill to flood level, which flooded homes, yards, and crept up to the water plant, which was forced to shut down because of silt and mud washed into the reservoir. (The Saugerties reservoir is basically a large bend in the Plattekill.)
Water levels quickly subsided but when Hopf and his crew tried to start the plant up the following day, there was still too much dirt in the water. So the village had to use its back-up water tanks to serve its 1,400 customers. By Thursday, Oct. 1, the plant was up and running again.
Rescues— One Reservoir Rd. resident was evacuated from his home by the Centerville Fire Company as water flooded the home.
The Glasco Fire Company used its boat to rescue a motorist stranded in their car on Rt. 212. There were no reported injuries in either incident.
Bye beach— It was low tide in the Hudson when the bulk of the storm hit, which helped keep homes on Lighthouse Dr. and Ferry St. unscathed.
However, the rushing waters of the Esopus did wash away most of the village’s public beach at the bottom of Partition St.
George Terpening, superintendent of Parks, Buildings and Grounds, said with a laugh that most of the sand was probably down in Kingston.
He said he would wait until next spring to replace the sand and build the beach back up for use when it opens in July.