By DENISE A. RAYMO
LOHR McKINSTRYStaff Writers
MORIAH — About 30 families outside Port Henry will have fresh, clean water, thanks to a $600,000 grant that expands the existing system and creates a new water district.
Moriah Town Supervisor Thomas Scozzafava said the Community Development Block Grant for the public-water system, which the town received from the State Division of Housing and Community Renewal, "is a godsend for us.
"I don't know what we would have done without the grant. There is no sewer in that area and no places to put private wells.
"We've had two children become seriously ill because of the water. This will give us a better water source."
The homes are on the outskirts of Port Henry, north of the village, and have received raw water from a village water source for years.
The Village Board has, in the past, tried to get them to drill wells or form a town water district.
Scozzafava said the new water line, hydrants and pumping system will connect from a water main off Plank Road served by Town Water District 2.
A flat rate is charged for water service now, and the new District 4 users will be charged once their portion of the system is up and running.
They will also take on some of the debt service for the existing town water-treatment facility.
Scozzafava said public demand led to the district formation. The town had lost its bid for a similar public-water grant last year.
The supervisor said the water problems in that section of town have been going on for nearly 75 years.
Homeowners in the town who live between the village reservoir and water-treatment plant were allowed to tap into the main water line leading from the reservoir, but it was raw, untreated water. The reservoir is located in the town north of the village.
And with so few homes to be served and low property values, it wasn't until the past three years that the push has been on to create a fourth water district to bring those parcels into the town's public-water system.
Because of the raw water being vended, the New York State Department of Health had ordered the village to shut off the water service by May, but the state later granted a one-year extension to that order.
The supervisor said that being able to expand the public-water system to these homes could eventually attract investment or business expansion on that side of town.
&boldtext;E-mail Denise A. Raymo at: draymo@pressrepublican.com
