Hector, Burdett consider town water district

    HECTOR—The Hector town board and the Burdett village board have formed a subcommittee to review each municipality’s water district and to consider future options as more people want to join the system.
    The decision came after a town resident, Ed Gates, asked the boards to be able to connect to either service to provide water in emergencies, Monday, Aug. 13. Discussion went from his request to current problems the water districts face and what future usage could be. The town board heard that two of the wells need cleaning and that the system might need to be extended deeper into the ground to provide more water for residents. Discussion also covered the added costs of running a pipe into the lake for extra water, due to required permits and problems with zebra mussels.
    Hector Supervisor Ben Dickens said more people wanting to connect to the system means the town would need more water. Burdett Mayor Dale Walter added they have to be careful who is allowed to connect in the future and that perhaps there shouldn’t be both Hector and Burdett water districts, but just a town district. When discussing Gates’s request, the board tried to figure if the town resident would have to connect to the village’s system instead.
    Other reasons for reviewing the water districts include being able to create loops in the system to prevent dead ends. The boards said that could be done where Gates’s farm is, but then the cost comes back to the town. The first meeting of the subcommittee was scheduled for Aug. 27, in the Hector town hall at 7 p.m. Three members from the town and the village will be present to start discussions.
    Gates was proposing to connect to the system to be able to use no more than 5,000 gallons a day of either town or village water in emergencies only. He explained he recently had shortage issues and had to get 3,000 gallons of water a day delivered to his Seneca View Farm on Skyline Drive. While the emergency is over, Gates said he wants to have access to water in case of a future emergency. While the two boards meet, Gates will look into what engineering plans he needs to have for connecting to either water system.
    The board discussed his options and the two cheapest were: run a service line from the barn to the nearest water main hydrant or extend the water main to his farm and run a service line under the road. Gates estimated the nearest hydrant is about 500 feet from his barn. A representative from Chatfield Engineers said that distance was reasonable. Dickens added he knew of another resident, about 600 feet from the water main, who would also like to connect to the system.