is putting pressure on supply

An official with the New York State Department of Health gave a presentation on the benefits and process of forming a water district to the Otsego County planning board Oct. 6.

Ronald Shepard, a senior sanitary engineer with the Oneonta district office of the DOH, was asked to present about water districts following increasing concerns about the water supply in the Route 28 corridor in the town of Hartwick, said Otsego County planning director Terry Bliss.

"Everyone is sort of concerned about the water supply in that area," Bliss said. "Mainly we're trying to bring out information to the county planning board and dispel any myths." He said there are no current plans by the county or by the town of Hartwick to create a water district in that area, and that identifying a need for the district would be the responsibility of the town.

During the presentation, Shepard said the DOH's general position is to support the formation and maintenance of water districts.

"If appropriate, consolidation of smaller systems is the way to go," Shepard said. He said the benefits in forming a water district include easier implementation of sampling for bacteria, reduced costs for necessary equipment and supplies used in maintaining a water source and more qualified operators and managers monitoring the water supply.

"It's generally easier to serve and more efficient to serve from," Shepard said. "It's often difficult for smaller systems to remain in compliance." He said many of the people who manage smaller water systems only do so because they have to, and don't fully know what they are doing.

Shepard said all customers in the district receive the same quality water, with competition for available resources eliminated and available sources of water can be developed, reserved and maintained more efficiently.

He said a water district can be created in two ways. The first of which is by legal petition, signed by affected users in the proposed area. The petitioners must also present a map of the proposed area along with an engineering report that describes the district's sources.

"It involves quite a bit of money and work," he said.

The second method is by having a municipal board recognize the need for a study and authorize the use of town funds to look into the matter. If the water district is eventually created, it reimburses the town's expenses. If not, it is considered a valid expenditure, he said.

If the district is determined to be of value, Shepard said the process of determining who is in the district, where the two recommended sources of water will come from and how funding will be obtained can take quite a while to establish. He said depending on the district, it could take anywhere from one year to two years to establish and construct a water district.

Shepard said his presentation was general in nature and that the Route 28 corridor would require more detailed study before deciding if it was necessary, but said the increasing concentration of businesses and residences in the area have increased pressure on the water supply.

"It doesn't take a real smart person to see problems may develop," he said.

One problem with creating a water district is funding, Shepard said. He said that while partial funding is available through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, the program is extremely competitive. The projected need for this year for applicants is approximately $3.3 billion, while the program only has about $900 million available. Shepard said money from the program typically goes to districts that are in dire need and are skewed more toward pre-existing districts.

"While we might have some need here and there, I don't think we score very high against some other projects in the state," Bliss said.