HARTWICK - The Hartwick town board will present water district residents with details of a proposed $1.6 million upgrade to the system during a meeting next month.

Monday night, the board, acting in its capacity as the board of water commissoiners, decided to move forward with the project by scheduling an informational meeting to explain the proposal to residents.

The proposed project includes the installation of new water mains, a new well and storage reservoir, new service lines, an emergency generator and the rehabiliatation of the existing creamery well house.

And for the first time, each customer's water usage would be metered. Currently, the system's 212 customers pay a flat rate of $150 annually for all the water they need.

Under the proposal, that charge would rise to approximately $1 a day or $369 per home annually. That charge would include the operations and maintenance of the system and the debt service associated with the cost of the proposed improvements. The debt service is estimated to be nearly $200 per customer, according the town's consulting engineer Wayne Bunn.

Because water usage was not metered in the past, the board and Bunn are working on how best to estimate the usage included in the minimum amount, but believe the annual charge should provide an adequate amount water for a typical household.

"The first year may be a learning curve to get the rates right," he said. "With meters customers have a way to cut back on part of their water bill."

Funding for the project would come from a variety of sources including grants and low or no-interest loans from the state and federal government.

The water system was built in 1890 and since then, the inside diameter of the pipes has slowly been decreasing as deposits built up. As that has occured, the amount of water that can get through has diminished to the point where where you can no longer see light at the end of some of the four inch mains that have been dug up recently for repairs, officials said.

The diminished flow of water has been a cause of concern because the system may not be able to provide enough water through fire hydrants in the event of an emergency.

Board members worried about the cost of the proposed project, but believe it needs to be done. If it is not, said board member Dave Butler, the "worst case scenario is that one day you'll wake up and have no water. It's cheaper than drilling a well and there are a lot of places you can't drill because of the spetic systems."

"I still have reservations about it and the cost," said board member Mary Balcom, who added that she worried about elderly residents' ability to pay the increased cost.

"Our job as water commissioners is to give people the option. We'll let democracy rule," said town supervisor Carol Niedzialkowski.

Following what may be more than one informational meting, the board would have to adopt a bonding resolution to seek the financing. That resolution is subject to a permissive referendum of the water district customers who have 30 days following the passage of the resolution to file a petition bearing the signatures of a majority calling for the issue to be put on the ballot. If no petition is filed the resolution stands and the board is able to proceed with the project.

The meeting will be held in the town hall on Wednesday, September 18, at 7 p.m. Notices will be mailed to all water district customers.