LAKE GEORGE — The Village Board is expected to announce a moratorium on any new commercial property water connections in the city outside the village to conduct a 10- to 12-week water study.
The council will vote on the decision at the December meeting. The moratorium is proposed for six months.
According to a news release from the village, the board hired CT Male Engineering to conduct a study of the village’s water system to evaluate options for the area’s growing needs.
Lake George Town Supervisor Dennis Dickinson said Richard Schermerhorn’s plans to develop housing on the former Water Slide World site was a driving force in the decision to conduct the study.
“We’ve had some interest from developers for large water-use projects, and the village has enough water, but they want to make sure they can get to the volume needed for these projects, so that’s what led us to do the water study.” Dickinson said.
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The Village of Lake George Water Filtration System currently serves over 1,800 residents and businesses in the Town and Village of Lake George. The town and village councils have agreed to conduct a study looking at options to continue to provide water service for the area’s growing development.
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While the city and village both operate water filtration facilities, the city-run facility in Diamond Point serves fewer than 100 residents with a well water system, while the village plant serves more than 1,800 village residents and city with over 1,400 water supply connections. .
Currently, village water is pumped directly from Lake George through a pumping station on Beach Road to a modern water filtration station on Ottawa Street and distributed throughout the system.
The village serves users north to Hearthstone Park on Route 9N and south to Route 9L as well as the east side of the lake.
The village press release cited not only plans for the old Water Slide World site, but also the recent conversion of the old Ramada Inn to residences and multiple other condominiums on Route 9L and Bloody Pond Road as reasons to conduct the water study and explore options for services.
Demolition was underway this fall at the former home of Water Slide World after real estate developer Richard Schermerhorn purchased the property with plans to build housing on the site. The plans, while not yet presented to the city of Lake George, are a driving force behind the decision for a local water study.
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“Village officials are concerned that the current filtration plant will not be able to handle the higher volume expected and have joined with the town board to fund the $43,000 study. The study is expected to last 12-14 weeks,” Tuesday’s statement said.
The study is intended to examine current system capacity, highlight areas of concern or possible limitations, and provide conceptual designs for improvements to continue to accommodate additional customers in planned development areas.
“We don’t want to stunt growth in the town of Lake George,” said Village Mayor Bob Blais. “We want to be able to serve all customers who want village-to-city-non-village water and at the same time maintain an adequate supply for the village.”
Jana DeCamilla is a writer covering Moreau, Queensbury, Warren County and Lake George. She can be reached at 518-903-9937 or [email protected].