RSS 2.0 FeedJuly 15, 2011, Wantagh Seaford Citizen
Aqua hearing raises tensions in Wantagh
Over 200 attend meeting about Wantagh water tower.
About 200 people filled the auditorium at Wantagh High School on
Tuesday evening, July 12, to hear a presentation made by Aqua New York
on the company’s plan to build a 158 tall water tower on its five-acre
wooded site on DeMott Avenue in Wantagh.
Matt Snyder, president of Aqua New York, told residents the elevated
water tank is the most economical way to address water pressure
problems in the system that may fall to low levels during hot summer
months when water usage doubles and pressure is just at the New York
State Department of Health standard of approximately 20 p.s.i.
Aqua’s consulting engineer, William Merklin of Dvirka and Bartilucci
Consulting Engineers, added that a better guideline was the “10 States
Standard that indicates that we should have 35 p.s.i. in the summer,”
he said. “We don’t have enough storage and we need to keep the p.s.i at
35 in case of fire.”
But residents objected. Tensions ran high. Audience members shouted
questions at Mr. Merklin, who proceeded through his presentation. At
one point a resident yelled from the audience, “No one’s interested in
this.”
The plan
Mr. Snyder told The Citizen in an interview Tuesday afternoon that
“there are several ways to solve the problem of low pressure. We can
drill more wells and expand and add a booster and transmission system
or build the elevated tank.”
He explained that the elevated tank uses gravity to create water
pressure, which eliminates double pumping and the additional cost of
electricity as well as increased operating costs.
The cost is estimated to be $2 million and would be absorbed in a rate
increase of about “$5 a year per customer,” said Mr. Snyder. The
project has been approved by the Public Service Commission and is
waiting for approvals by the Town of Hempstead’s zoning Board of
Appeals which will hear the case on Wednesday, August 10.
Aqua New York has a 148-foot water tank in Merrick on Jefferson
Avenue. “The one tank cannot handle the entire system,” said Mr.
Snyder. This second tank, at the other end of the system, would help
increase pressure in the Wantagh-Seaford area and balance out the
system, he added.
The proposed 158-foot water tank in Wantagh, along with erection of a
small building that would house a new well built at the site and
electric transmission system will take about a year to construct, but
only “five months of on-site construction,” said Mr. Merklin.
Mr. Snyder said the company “would not shove any project down the
throats of the community.” He offered an alternative that would be 15%
to 20% higher in costs and would include digging a new well in Merrick
and solving the pressure problems in Wantagh and Seaford with more
ground storage, booster pumps and a transmission system.
“We must do something,” said Mr. Snyder.
At the July 12 meeting, Mr. Merklin displayed renderings of how the
tower would look if it were built. The tower loomed over the trees and
houses and elicited sharp cries from residents.
Reaction to the plan
Ella Stevens, president of the Wantagh Seaford Homeowners Association,
and Pam Dempsey, president of the Wantagh Civic Association, have
joined forces to address residents concerns. One resident after another
raised concerns about a drop in home values if the tower is erected.
Two Realtors said they expect to see at least a 10% drop in values.
Others spoke about aesthetics. Although Mr. Merklin said only “three
trees would be cut down,” residents began to shout that Aqua did not
take care of the property. “It’s been butchered,” one woman yelled.
Pam Dempsey also had concerns about whether the water tank would
house cell antennas. Mr. Snyder assured the audience there would be no
cell antennas on the water tank.
She also pointed to the “ugly tower in Merrick which is a rusty mess.
Neighbors say you don’t even cut the grass.”
But Mr. Snyder said the Merrick tower is “not rusty. That is
condensation that looks like dirt. We clean the bottom of the tank
every five years and we cut the grass.”
Additionally, some residents doubted the need for a water tower and
urged Aqua to provide more data.
Ms. Stevens asked the audience to raise their hand if they had a
problem with water pressure. Some did but were overshadowed by the
majority that said they did not have problems with water pressure.
John Gillen, chairman of the Board of Fire Commissioners of the
Wantagh Fire District, who said they were not endorsing any changes,
added that they would like to get the water pressure “boosted” because
they were afraid the pressure might not be enough if there is a major
fire.
Others residents wanted time for an independent study to be done on
the project to explore possible alternatives.
People also had concerns about the recent news of a buyout of Aqua New
York by Long Island American Water. They wanted to know if they would
have to voice their concerns all over again.
Claudia Borecky pointed to the 19% rate increase that Long Island
American Water has asked the state Public Service Commission (PSC) to
grant them. “Would we have another increase too?”
Local officials including County Legislators David Denenberg and
Dennis Dunne both opposed the project. Legislator Dunne wondered if
there was a better site for the project and Legislator Denenberg urged
the public to have the Southeastern Nassau Water Authority move forward
on its study for a possible public takeover of Aqua New York.
In a press release, U.S. Senator Charles Schumer urged Long Island
American Water, the new buyers of Aqua New York, to explore alternative
options to address low water-pressure issues.
Finally, many residents hope the August 10 zoning board hearing can
be postponed for a second time. Fred Parola told residents that they
must prepare a legal case to present before the board. “It’s the law
that counts,” he said.
Later in the evening he added that “I got an adjournment in July.
Advocates wanted a shorter time frame on this issue, but after this
evening, they may agree to it.”
Michael Vendetto from the Town of Hempstead urged residents to go to
the zoning board hearing or “write or email. We already have over 200
e-mails or letters.”
Ms. Stevens told The Citizen that WSHA and WCA are in the process of
“putting together a committee to address issues to present to the
[zoning board]. We are hoping that this can be postponed. It’s not fair
to do this over the summer when so many people are out of town.”
Jeanine Boiko, speaking on behalf of the Wantagh Civic Association,
said “While it was encouraging to hear representatives from Aqua New
York admit there is an alternative to the proposed 158-foot water
tower, we are still skeptical that the company will take the residents’
concerns into consideration. Clearly residents of both Wantagh and
Seaford are opposed to erecting this towering eyesore in a 100%
residential community.We can only hope the town Board of Appeals will
take these concerns into consideration and vote no on August 10.”
- Additional reporting by Naomi Volk
