by Doug La Rocque
Brunswick Water and Sewer Department Superintendent Bill Bradly had some bad news for the Brunswick Town Board at their February meeting on Thursday the 9th. Seems what they are being charged by the City of Troy for metered water usage will be about $32,000 more than what users are estimated to be billed. Supervisor Phil Herrington summed up the feeling of the Board members nicely by saying this is not good. Why the shortfall? Mr. Bradley offered several reasons. Water that runs through hydrants is not measured, as are some other usages. What is troubling, however, is the discovery that an unknown number of people have installed bypass valves on their private meters, meaning some—if not all—of their water usage is not measured and therefore not billed. This has been a problem in the past but now seems to be a bit more prolific. Bradley says that when discovered by his department the offenders are ordered to remove the bypass and the department returns a short while later to make sure they have complied. Bradley is also investigating residences that show no water usage to see if perhaps they have become vacant or if there is another legitimate reason for the reading, or if the meter is being completely bypassed.
What Are the Ramifications?
Supervisor Herrington says they are researching town law to see if there is currently a statute on the books that gives the department legal recourse, and exactly what that might be. If not, he indicates they may have to draft a new local law placing at least a fine on a first offense, with perhaps stricter and more extensive punishment for repeat offenders. And, he adds, we need to do this soon.
No Need to Get the Lead Out, It’s Not There
The City of Troy reported last week that four homes of those sampled for lead reported elevated levels. Troy is Brunswick’s water supplier, so it begs the question: is there lead in the Brunswick water system? According to Superintendent Bradley, the answer is no. Mr. Bradley indicated the lead found in Troy’s water is most likely coming from very old piping, and that the source of the water for both municipalities, the Tomhannock reservoir, tests lead free. He told the Board that no homes recently tested in Brunswick showed any elevated levels of lead.
Recycling Financials
According to Supervisor Herrington, it cost the town $50,000 to grind up all the tree limbs and shrubs brought to the recycling center last fall. He feels outsiders are to blame in part for some of that large expenditure as they really have no way to confirm those bringing in the shrubs are really town residents. Some, he indicated, may even be private landscapers. Mr. Herrington wants the Board to consider a permit system. He would like to see the permits be free of charge for town residents but used in such a way to prevent interlopers from availing themselves of services they are not entitled to.
Another Recycling Center issue involves tires. For some time now the town has been charging four dollars per tire for disposal. Turns out the firm that picks these tires up is charging the town more than that, thus another revenue loss. Supervisor Herrington would like to see the fee raised to $12 to cover disposal costs.
Other News
Resolutions certifying the annual Length of Service Awards listing for Brunswick’s volunteer firefighters were approved and directed to be posted in each firehouse for 30 days. Robert Welch was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Board of Assessment Review.