LAKE GEORGE — The village board is expected to announce a moratorium on water supply to any new commercial properties in town outside the village to allow for a 10- to 12-week water study.
The board will vote on the resolution at its December meeting. A six-month suspension is recommended.
The board hired CT Male Engineering to conduct a study of the village’s water system to evaluate options to meet the area’s growing needs, according to a news release from the village.
Lake George Town Supervisor Dennis Dickinson said Richard Schermerhorn’s plan to develop housing at the former Waterslide World site was the impetus for the decision to pursue the study.
“There was some interest from developers in large water projects, and the village had enough water, but they wanted to make sure they could get the amount of water they needed for those projects, so that prompted us to complete the water study,” Dickinson said.
People are also reading…
The Village of Lake George Water Filtration System currently serves more than 1,800 residents and businesses in the Town and Village of Lake George. The town and village council have agreed to conduct a study to look at options for continuing to provide water service to growing development in the area. (December 2022)
Provide photo (archive photo)
While both the Town and Village operate water filtration plants, the Town-operated facility at Diamond Point serves fewer than 100 residents through a well water system, while the Village plant serves more than 1,800 Village and Town residents through more than 1,400 water connections Serve.
Currently, the village’s water is pumped directly from Lake George by a pumping station on Beach Road to a modern water filtration station on Ottawa Street, where it is distributed throughout the system.
The village provides electricity to Hearthstone Park on Route 9N to the north, Route 9L to the south, and to customers on the east side of the lake.
The village’s news release cited not only plans for the old Water Ski World Heritage Site, but also the recent conversion of the old Ramada Inn into residences and multiple other apartment developments on Route 9L and Bloody Pond Road as a way to conduct water studies. and explore service options.
Demolition is underway this fall after real estate developer Richard Schermerhorn purchased the former Water Ski World site with plans to build housing there. The plan, while not yet submitted to the Town of Lake George, has been a driving force behind decisions on a town-wide water study.
Jana Decamilla
“Village officials are concerned that the current filtration plant will not be able to handle the anticipated higher capacity and have worked with the Town Board to fund the $43,000 study. The study is expected to take 12 to 14 weeks,” Tuesday’s news release said.
The study aims to examine the existing capacity of the system, indicate areas of concern or possible limitations, and provide an improved conceptual design to continue accepting additional customers in planned development areas.
“We don’t want to impede the growth of the town of Lake George,” Village President Bob Bryce said. “We hope to be able to serve all customers who wish to access village water outside the village, while maintaining adequate reserves for the village.”
Jana DeCamilla is a staff writer covering Morrow, Queensbury, Warren County and Lake George. You can call 518-903-9937 or jdecamilla@poststar.com.
