by Doug La Rocque
An isolated water pressure problem was one of the topics of discussion at the Berlin Town Board’s workshop meeting on January 28. Water District 2 Superintendent Winn and Board members traded ideas on how this could be addressed, and the discussion turned to the age of the water mains in the Town, first constructed in the 1930s. [private]
Winn said he had asked New York State for permission to dig across Route 22 while the road was being reconstructed last summer, but DOT officials had denied his request. The Town had wanted to cross the state road with upgraded water lines that connected to the refurbished lines by the new Elm Street Bridge.
The Board felt it is time to begin upgrading the pipes, while the Water District has the funds to do so, and it directed the Superintendent to look into spending $30,000 of their reserve to replace lines along the west side of Elm Street running toward Main Street. They are looking to conduct such upgrades every two or three years, as funding permits
The Water District’s monetary collection method was also discussed. Currently residents in the District are charged by the number and type of water fixtures on their property. After discussing other methods of collection, the Board decided to leave things as they are. Also brought up was the quality of the water, and in particular testing for such metals as lead and copper. Winn said these contaminants are tested for every two years, and that the EPA also conducts their own testing of the system. To date there have been no problems. [/private]