http://www.dailygazette.com

Quoted Text

ROTTERDAM
Heat sparks watering restrictions
Town reserves dangerously low; system upgrades cited
BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Justin Mason at 395-3113 or jmason@dailygazette.net.

   Rotterdam officials temporarily tightened summer watering restrictions Wednesday, after low-water level alarms were touched off twice this week.
   Residents will be prohibited from watering lawns during the evening hours with the Rotterdam Police strictly enforcing the ban, according to a release from the town. The augmented restrictions will continue until Sunday, when the ordinary schedule will resume.
   Supervisor Steve Tommasone said the town pumped more than 8.7 million gallons of water Monday and nearly 5.5 million on Tuesday. The result has been a depletion of the total 5 million gallon stored water in the town’s six storage tanks.
   “The pumps we have are working nonstop the last few days,” he said. “If we can have residents not water in the evenings just for a dew days, it can allow us to get the tanks back up to normal levels.”
   Tommasone said the restrictions are to ensure the town has enough capacity in the event of an emergency. He said the normal pattern for watering is likely to return after the heat wave breaks this weekend.
   “We have to be careful from a [fire district] perspective,” he said. “These levels are getting very low.”
   Water Plant Supervisor Clark Collins said the town uses about 3.5 million gallons on average. But as soon as the heat cranks up this usage often increases by 5 million gallons.
   “That extra 5 million gallons we’re pumping is basically for outdoor use,” he said.
   To control this extra usage, town rules only allows watering from 7 to 9 a.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. between May and September. But with the increased restrictions this week, only even-numbered house numbers will be permitted to water in the morning today and Saturday, with odd numbered houses allowed to water in the morning Friday and Sunday.
   Were residents to abide by the ordinary restrictions, Collins said there probably wouldn’t be a problem with the storage supply. But often times, he said the summer watering hours are ignored.
   “You can hear the sprinklers running [after the hours],” he said.

LARGER ISSUE
   Tommasone said the recent shortage isn’t uncommon for the time of year, but that it shows the need for Rotterdam to upgrade its water infrastructure in certain areas. For instance, Rotterdam Junction’s water supply isn’t connected to the rest of the town’s system, so that any pump failure there could cause significant troubles during an emergency or peak usage time.
   “If that tank goes down, there’s no way to get water to the Junction,” he said.
   The town is planning to replace Rotterdam Junction’s decades-old tank off Leggerio Lane before the end of the year. Cost estimates to replace the 200.000-gallon tank are between $1.4 million and $2.1 million, which would be raised through bonding and paid for by the 577 users in water districts 3 and 4, according to figures presented by the town in February.
   In addition to connecting Rotterdam Junction, Tommasone said the town has preliminary approval to reconnect a similar hookup that once existed with the city of Schenectady. He said such a hookup could deliver water to the town in the event of rupture or failure somewhere in Rotterdam’s system.
   “We cannot push these upgrade off to future years,” he said. “Our water system is something that is imperative to upgrade.”  


  
  
  

Get it done.....

I can understand the odd even system and most of us an other municipalities routinely do that.

But why is it limited to only morning?  We cannot water in the morning because we are out of the house about 6:30 and 7:30.  So no way to turn it off.  

Working people therefore cannot water because we can't use two hours in the evening.  

We need to get watering timers.....

I forgot to include the question about what difference does it make?

I dont' know how many gallons ae used if one waters for the full two hours, but suppose it was 2,000 gallons.  If I cause 2,000 gal to be depleted from the tank in the morning, but then I don't water in the morning, instead I water in the evening, I'm probably going to use the same 2,000 gallons, so what's the difference?

Thank goodness for yesterday's rain

Oh come on MC1, you are making just too much sense here. I agree with you. I am out the door early as well and I would guess 'they' knew this and were banking on it. This is only on until Sunday, then back to 'watering as usual'. So for that, I will not buy a timer.  I use a sprinkler can on the important flowers/plants.

Because it's impossible for them to keep track of if you watered in the morning when they see you watering in the evening.  If they give you 2 times and you can only use 1, they have no way to enforce it, unless they look at each property in town during both times each day.

I guess it's a matter of them not being able to trust people to only use 1 of the times.  Also, it makes it easier for them to issue tickets for double watering.

The water pipes that fill Rotterdam's water towers are too small to keep up with the volume of water being used to water lawns and wash cars. That's just another piece of infrastructure that needs to be upgraded with larger pipes. One of these days Rotterdam is going to find itself in one heck of a mess due to the fact that it's failed to update is infrastructure in the past. It needs to be done now not later.

Yup,,,,now is always a good time.....later just means dead.....

Aw...come on Shadow....you are just making way too much sense here.

And you say that someday Rotterdam is going to find itself in one heck of a mess....don't you think that time is just about here? I certainly do. When you hear the residents of Rotterdam FINALLY being conerned about infrustructure, than you know there is a mess!

Actually, the tower in the Junction doesn't even pump the water fast enough to keep the tower filled.  And this is something they're already working on.  At least one thing being looked at it.

The only way to get anything done in this town is if most of the residents attend town meetings and voice their displeasure with the way things are going and being done. It's an election year and after November it'll be business as usual.

Okay, I'd go but I'm afraid I would have to get up and slap Godlewski upside the head when he goes on and on and on and on........He seems to have the questions but clearly no answers!

Go for it bumble, I'll be there with you.  Talk about a lame duck.

Bob hasn't done one positive thing for this town since he got his position on the town board.