New York City taxpayers will be funding a major project intended to reduce the dependence of local water district users on the water piped downstate. According to New Paltz village mayor Tim Rogers, the project includes acquiring land for a well field pursuant to health regulations, siting and building six wells near the water treatment plant on Mountain Rest Road and in Moriello Park. They will need to be certified as sources of drinking water.
The intergovernmental agreement has been approved by attorneys for New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection and, the office of the city’s comptroller.
Expanding primary water sources are needed so that the Catskill aqueduct san meet the demand while the larger and newer Delaware aqueduct is repaired. Periodic shutdowns will help clear the bio-film buildup that has reduced the aqueduct’s capacity.
New Paltz lacked even a secondary system when these plans were first proposed, and negotiations under Rogers’ leadership won the agreement to help finance a primary system. That will benefit water users, as the price of water purchased from the aqueduct has risen 289% in the past 16 years, according to the mayor. Some 60% of all water in the municipal supply presently comes from that source.
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