If a Railroad Avenue resident wants village water he will have to pay for it himself because it would be too costly for the village to pay for it, said Michael Hopf, Water Department superintendent.
Speaking at Tuesday’s village of Saugerties trustees’ meeting, Hopf said it would cost an estimated $153,000 to run a water line onto Railroad Avenue from Route 212.
The cost study was done by the village engineers at a price of $1300.
Several months ago, Railroad Avenue resident Bill Swart asked if there was some way the village could bring water to his home. He explained that he and his neighbors used wells to supply their homes with water but they had become contaminated and were no longer usable.
At the time, trustee Don Hackett, who was not at Tuesday’s meeting, said he believed there is a village law that requires the village to provide water to every residence and business.
Trustees were sympathetic to Swart’s plight and said they would look into it, and they put the village’s engineers on the problem.
At the January 17 meeting, Hopf said about 1000 feet of eight-inch water line would have to be run up Railroad Avenue from Route 212. The eight inch line would be needed to provide enough water flow to fire hydrants that would be sited along the road.
Of the 1000 foot length, the first 300 feet would be along the road, and under the road is extensive rock that would have to be blasted to make way for the line, Hopf said. The remaining 7000 feet would be off the road and along the frontage of several homes.
Trustee Terry Parisian suggested using a less expensive 1 ½ inch line, but Hopf said the only way an adequate water supply could be brought into the fire hydrants was via an eight-inch line. Parisian said maybe there didn’t need to be fire hydrants since there are no hydrants there now.
Mayor William Murphy said there really isn’t anyway the village could bring in the line, at that kind of cost because “we don’t have the money.”
He suggested that an easier solution existed and that was for Swart, who was not at the meeting, to talk to a neighbor whose property adjoins a water line, and get an easement to allow him to run a service line to that water main.
Trustees said they will be in contact with Swart, but there was little hope the village would be able to pay for any of the work.
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