|
Notice from Village of Lowville in Response to
Information Presented in Central Lewis Water Study Presentation
Published: August 05, 2021
at 01:15 p.m.
By: Press Release from Village of Lowville
After viewing the
Miller Engineering report on the regional water study on the Linking Lewis
County website August 4th, the mistakes reported on the Lowville
Village water system demonstrated inadequate research on the part of the
engineering firm.
They failed to
consult village officials such as Village Superintendent, Public Works
Water Plant operators and the Village Historian. A quick visit to the Lewis
County Historical Society or the Lowville Free Library would make the 1954
Centennial History the Village of Lowville available for accurate and
in-depth information about the water system's 127 years existence. This
history illustrates the capability of village operations with the water and
recognizes that is a mistake to tum the system over to an inexperienced
entity that has never run any water system and now thinks it could run
multiple systems.
From the very
beginning, the Village water system originated in Watson's West Triangle
from the springs on Lots Nos. 292 and 279. Village water comes from a
spring/stream fed reservoir - Youngs Pond and two additional spring/stream
fed impoundments- the Upper and Main Springs. These sources are about nine
miles from the Village located on 1550 acres of village owned land ln the
Towns of Watson and New Bremen. (Annual Drinking Water Quality Report for
2020, Public Water Supply ID# NY 2402365).
The Village has NEVER
drawn water from the Black River, as historically the paper mills poured
their pollution directly into the river. One must also remember that water
doesn't run uphill.
In 2017 the
village hired GYMO Engineering to work with a geologist to look for
locations of future groundwater wells and plant expansion. The Village
already had started planning for the future and
didn't require duplication from the county.
The Annual
Drinking Water Quality Report for 2020, Public Water Supply ID# NY 2402365 concluded in its
report that the tap water met all State drinking water health standards and
there were no violations of a maximum contaminant level or any water
quality standard during 2020. This report is located on the Village website
(www.villageoflowville.org). The dedicated
water operators are fully licensed by the state of New York and DPW workers
are licensed for backup to keep the system running under any emergencies
that might arise.
The Five Streets
Capital Project are continuing to update a century old village
infrastructure of water mains, sewer mains, and added storm drains. Capital
improvements are continuing with the development of two new wells at our
water shed to provide clean water to residents including the Kraft Heinz
plant, a major employer in the county. The Village is also upgrading its
sewer plant for future generations and industry.
These $33.9
million major upgrades are being completed with no tax increases. The
Village Board also sees no need to raise fees $200 to $300 every billing
cycle as the county manager suggested. Water rates increased 10% in 2018,
5% in 2019 and 5% in 2021 which is a modest increase. The sewer rate
increased 5% in 2020 and another 5% in 2021. These rates had not been
increased since 2012. The village board wants to keep taxes and fees as low
as possible for those on fixed incomes.
The Village
continues to work with their engineers and consultants to go after grants
and low interest loans to upgrade Village infrastructures.
|
