Amenia Town Board considers presentation by water engineers

AMENIA — Seeking to assess the current status of the district water system that serves the town and to look to the future, the Town Board heard a presentation from a civil engineering firm at its regular meeting on Thursday, May 16.

Representing Delaware Engineering, based in Red Hook, was Mary Beth Bianconi from the Albany office, specializing in water and wastewater systems. She noted that her specialty is in infrastructure planning, including community water systems.

Following review of the various levels of governmental regulations, she said that project financing is an important part of her company’s service to municipalities. She reported a recently passed state Water Infrastructure Improvement Act that the town could benefit from, in addition to the federally available programs.

Reporting preliminarily on the configuration of the local water system, Bianconi said that the town is served by four ground water wells located on two sites. Two wells on Lavelle Road produce 40 gallons a minute, pumped to a 20,000-gallon storage tank. But the wells are located in proximity to a lake.

Up to 18,000 feet of pipe of a variety of materials and age serve the water district, Bianconi reported, with pressure averaging 28 psi (pounds per square inch), lower in some locations.

Immediate needs, Bianconi said, include the testing of the Lavelle Road wells for ground water quality and any possible impact from surface water seeping into the system.

In past action, the Town Board has agreed to create a plan for water testing, examining it for microbial particulate that could be present in surface water. In addition, local surface piping would need to be tested for lead, given the age of some of the pipes.

“A more robust examination of the entire system is needed,” Bianconi said, indicating that the assessment work will lead to an engineering report, which will lead in turn to a capital improvement project.

“Right now, the town’s water quality is fine,” Bianconi assured the town board.

“An engineering report will devise a more efficient plan,” said Town Supervisor Leo Blackman.

Councilman Brad Rebillard asked about water pressure. Bianconi reported that the water comes from pipes that extend 200 feet below surface and the water is piped up to a tank with a steel exterior and a glass lining.

The early morning hours, between 6 and 9 a.m., see the greatest demand, dropping the water level within the tank, and accordingly dropping the pressure. An ideal pressure is 40 psi, while 20 psi is the minimum desirable.

Some people in town have too high a pressure measurement, and some people, too low. Bianconi recommended a hydraulic study.

To Rebillard’s question about water testing, Bianconi said that the study engineers would test the water as it comes from the wells, before the regular treatment process occurs.