Saugerties village government is working on a way to get two homes on Railroad Avenue village water. Bill Swart, one of the two homeowners, told the trustees at their November 7 meeting that his home and that of his neighbor are the only two in the village not to receive village water.
Trustee Donald Hackett believes that service is required by village law. “I believe it’s the village law that we have to hook up every home and commercial building in the village up to our water system,” Hackett said.
“These are the only two houses in the village that pay village taxes and don’t have village services,” said mayor William Murphy. “This just doesn’t make any sense.”
Swart said houses on the other side of Railroad Avenue have village water. Because his well and his neighbor’s are contaminated, he said, they need to be hooked up to the village’s lines, which run along Route 212.
“I’ve lived there for 30 years, and my uncle and parents before that,” Swart said. He says he finds his well is contaminated by fecal chloroform. He can no longer drink it. The two homes are served by wells and septic systems.
To get potable water, Swart walks down the street to his son’s house, which is also on Railroad Avenue but is hooked up to village water. He fills up a five-gallon jug and brings it home.”
Swart said he’s talked to the Mike Hopf, superintendent of the village water department. He been told there is no money in the water budget to dig a trench to run the line up to Swart and his neighbor’s houses.
Trustee Jeff Helmuth thought it shouldn’t be too much of a problem to run a line up from Route 212.
Swart said it would also be nice if they could get village wastewater service as well.
“This is a health concern for these homeowners, and we will get Hopf to run the numbers, see how much it will cost, and do something about it,” Murphy concluded.
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