By Abby Luby //
The possibility of establishing the Scotts Corners Water District was discussed in detail at the May 21 Pound Ridge Town Board meeting where several people, including many from the business district, voiced their support for the idea.
A full house at the meeting had many contributing to a two hour discussion including Scotts Corners business owners who spoke of the dire situation created by inadequate water/wastewater solutions that has plagued their stores and restaurants for decades.
A sense of urgency to form the district was due in part to the town’s application for a state Water Infrastructure Improvement Act grant whose deadline is June 14. The town reviewed all 13 pages of the grant application at the very beginning of the meeting.
A public hearing on forming the Scotts Corners Water District was held at the Town House on June 11.
Although water and wastewater issues have plagued the Scotts Corners Business District for decades, the problems are now compounded with new state and federal regulations lowering acceptable levels of dangerous polyfluoroalkyl substances that contaminate drinking water. PFAS contaminated water wells are linked with a myriad of illnesses and diseases.
A report last month by the Laberge Group, the town’s engineering firm, planning what will be the Scotts Corners Water District, cited water samples that showed two PFAS chemicals, perfluorooctane sulfonic acid and perfluorooctanoic acid, were above the state regulated limit. The contamination was detected at two different properties, leading to violation notices from the Westchester County Department of Health. Groundwater contamination has long been a problem for Scotts Corners from previous chemical and petroleum spills whose byproducts were found in the drinking water. Experiencing the frustration of installing a county approved water filtration system was DiNardo’s restaurant owner, Mary Jane Salvi, who was at the May town board meeting.
“We’ve been working relentlessly with the engineers at the Westchester County Department of Health and getting nowhere. –DiNardo’s restaurant owner, Mary Jane Salvi
“I have been dealing with this issue for a very long time,” Salvi said. “We’ve been working relentlessly with the engineers at the Westchester County Department of Health and getting nowhere. My engineer has been working nonstop with them. He submits a plan and then they ask for revisions. This morning I was in court with the DOH for another revised plan. I’m due back in court in July.”
Salvi said the financial burden of testing and producing engineering plans has been extraordinary, costing her business about $40,000.
“This system will probably cost us over $150,000. Not including engineering, installing, excavation and revised plans. We’re a small business. We’ve been in the community for 50 years and this has taken a toll on us. And if this doesn’t get approved and if we don’t move forward I don’t know if DiNardo’s will be here. And it’s a shame. Do you want to see an empty space there?”
Town board members were seen shaking their heads and saying “no” to Salvi’s last question.
Owner of the Barnwell Center, Mark Gjelaj, echoed similar grievances.
“We’ve been going through the same thing for over two and a half years,” he said. “Month after month engineering and testing costs have quadrupled. My expenses on water maintenance in my center for the past three years went from $20,000 to $60,000 a year which included maintenance and engineering costs and dealing with the health department. And we haven’t even gotten to the final plan yet which will probably cost over $100,000.”
Gjelaj said that the health department’s requirements are becoming more strict for installing water filtration systems.
“It’s just a matter of time before the DOH will require every establishment in the business district to test their water and once you test, you’re in for a long, multi-year process and a very expensive one.”
Laberge Group has recommended that once the Scotts Corners Water District is established that a connection be made to the Aquarion Water Company and its existing treated water storage tank at the Pound Ridge Golf Club located on High Ridge Road. The proposed water district has approximately 39 service connections, servicing approximately 114 people.
Some voiced their objection to forming a new water district and thought the town was being too hasty for what will be a very expensive project that might not be needed.
“We are rushing headlong into a $50 million commitment,” said Pound Ridge resident Steve Kushner, “Is it because we are rushing to make a deadline for a grant that will be available next year?”
Also at the meeting John McCown voiced his concerns with the financial aspect of the project impacting the businesses at Scotts Corners.
“We need to go in with our eyes open relating to the cost of the project. The cost will be paid by the business district and they deserve to know what the numbers are. It is incumbent upon the business district because they are the ones who need to know what it is and they need to know what their risk is.”
Town board member Alison Boak, who is also the chair of the Pound Ridge Water and Wastewater Task Force, warned of delaying the project as more information and studies have linked PFAS to a myriad of negative health impacts.
“This is something you don’t want to wait around on because these chemicals [PFAS] are going to be found everywhere,” Boak said. “Right now, there’s federal funding coming through the state that’s available. Every community will need to fix this problem. Are we going to wait until they run out of money or are we going to take some initiative here and get our application in and get some money?”
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