Amenia declares water emergency due to drought

AMENIA

— The Town Board Oct. 1 declared a water emergency due to drought.

"It’s been at least a month or even six weeks since we last saw rain in this area," town Supervisor Janet Reagon said. "We have water tanker trucks deliver water to the town to keep the level in the tower high enough and we have more on stand by."

Reagon asked residents of the water district to conserve water as much as possible by not washing cars, filling swimming pools or watering lawns during the emergency.

"We also ask residents to conserve by taking quicker showers or by running a full load of laundry or in the dishwashing machine," she said. "There are just all kinds of things people can do that will collectively help."

The town is now taking steps to connect well 4-A, which Reagon said the Town Board has discussed frequently in the past.

"The permit has been held up for almost two years by the Department of Environmental Conservation [DEC]," she said. "We finally got the permit on Sept. 25, but in a few days we may still have to get water from the tankers."

Reagon said the well was originally dug according to permit plans received by the DEC and it was believed it was put in a wetlands buffer.

However, Reagon said Amenia resident Patrick Nelligan brought an action against the town last year concerning the well’s construction. It took a year and a half for the Wetlands Appeals Board to make a decision.

"The board decided in his favor in May 2006," she said. "However, we have been ordered by the Department of Health to get well 4-A activated as soon as possible due to the drought."

She said the well should be activated by the middle of this week and that this week’s forecasted rain probably would not have a significant effect on the drought.

"Just because the rain is falling and the skies are grey doesn’t mean we are going to get a significant amount," she said. "We hope people will be conservative with water."

She said she did not know how much connecting the well would cost the town.

"We do have an emergency fund to take care of things like this," she said. "In terms of affecting next year’s budget, I don’t think it will."