Wednesday, June 16, 2021

Water Crisis Update

Gossips just received this information from DPW superintendent Rob Perry.
The water department was able to successfully insert and send the "swab" with the intent to push the pig backwards into an open receiving pit. After a few hours, the swab made its way to the open pit at the water plant. The pig did not.
Our options:
    • temporary interconnect with Greenport, and
    • emergency excavation and removal of the Claverack "blow-off" to retrieve the pig.
We also evaluated the available flow and current status of tank volume. Our tank is at a dangerously low level [of] 835,000 gallons or roughly 1/3 the usual operating capacity.
We know that the pig is still partially in a section of our transmission main and we know this poses a threat to our flow. But for now, we are able to manage raw water flow in excess of 1,000 gpm, and filling the tank is our first priority.

At this rate and considering consumption trends, it will reasonably take a week to reach full capacity.
During the next few weeks, we will evaluate the plan to extricate the pig.

The takeaway here, it seems, is that it is still necessary to conserve water. As before, the boldface is Gossips' addition.

10 comments:

  1. Kinda gives a new meaning to the phrase, "like
    a stuck pig."

    The meaning of this phrase is unchanged: "If it's yellow let it mellow."

    (Sorry, desperate times.)

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  2. Churchtown is a very small reservoir with limited capacity surrounded by highways on 4 sides. The water mains and service pipes are very old, certainly with a lot of leaks, many homes are still serviced by lead water lines. The sewer system can't handle the storm water and dumps millions of gallons of raw sewage into the Hudson every year, as do other towns all along the river.

    Climate change is progressing, heat waves are more frequent and intense, +100 degree temps in California right now. Water in the future will be the most scarce and valuable resource. Yet in the midst of this, some people are advocating for, and developers lining up to construct large apartment complexes at Bliss Towers, at John L, on 7th street, 1st and Warren, and lets not forget behind the little league field all that property owned by Galvan. When all these buildings are constructed, adding thousands of new apartments and residents, what happens when the water runs dry? Do we pump it out of the Hudson River filled with PCBs and raw sewage?

    Now is not the time to build anything. There is a crisis looming. Now is the time to PRESERVE and PROTECT what is here now. Upgrade and improve what exists, for the benefit of the residents now living here. Adding large apartment buildings for the sake of a quick buck isn't developing anything, it is degrading the community.

    Anyone who thinks this "development" will bring money into the city and lower the tax burden is in for a big surprise. Just take a drive down to Long Island and New Jersey where this type of development run rampant and see what kind of taxes they pay. Hudson is still a bargain.

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    Replies
    1. I’m not sure I understand the reference to “highways on all sides” of the Churchtown Reservoir.

      It is quite close to my house, so I’m familiar with its situation.

      On the East side, it is bounded by Reservoir Road, a little-traveled dirt road. This is the only road which directly abuts the reservoir.

      On the south is Taghkanic-Churchtown Road, but that lies a substantial distance to the south, in the direction of the dam outflow.

      To the north is County Route 27. It is a couple hundred yards away at least, a little closer at its northeast corner.

      There is no road anywhere close to the reservoir to the West. County Route 27 bends around through Churchtown, but is a good 1.5-2 miles away at that point.

      There has been tons of rain in the area around Churchtown in the past month, so the reservoir should be plenty full.

      All that said, it was very foolish for the City to give Colarusso a sweetheart lease-to-own deal on its former backup reservoir on Newman Road. Former City Engineer John Flynn (RIP) was incensed when Rick Scalera pushed that deal through.

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  3. NIMBY's using climate change as a reason to oppose housing

    that's a new one!

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    Replies
    1. Hudson needs more “affordable” housing like it needs more crumbling water mains. The housing “crisis” is manufactured; our crumbling infrastructure is real.

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    2. It seems to me that the people who think that the housing crisis in Hudson is not real tend to be homeowners. I would encourage you to take a few minutes right now and go searching online for an affordable apartment for one or 2 people in Hudson, something that a middle-class, working person can afford. Go ahead, let me know what you find.

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    3. Homeowners understand how expensive Hudson can be every time they pay their taxes. Why are rents expensive? Look at the taxes. Yet nobody in City Hall is talking about taxes, and neither are any of the “we need housing” people. It’s easier to blame the greedy developers for high rents.
      And is a market in crisis because cheap rentals aren’t available? We don’t have a defined problem. We have no data-based evidence. We have a lot of thoughts, feelings and sentiments.
      I’ve suggested the City implement a transfer tax that would provide money to address the high tax/high rent reality in Hudson. Instead, the City pushed back on a revenue source for struggling homeowners and the result was many sold. And to none of our surprise, we don’t have more units, and those we have aren’t cheaper. And the taxes keep climbing.

      Kristal Heinz

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    4. Hudson is two square miles and much of that designated as historic/landmarked, it’s basically a glorified neighborhood. There are plenty of affordable apartments to rent in Greenport and the surrounding towns that are minutes away. Not everyone in NYC lives in the West Village. Also, as Kristal correctly points out, high taxes contribute to high rents. Homeowners see it because they get billed directly. Renters like to elect people who are careless to the tax burden, but don’t realize they get billed indirectly by higher rents

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  4. I love the lively metaphors used by they DPW: pigs, swabs, blow offs. I want to hear more!

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