Preliminary Approval for Water Main

By D.M. Kamecke

CAIRO — South Cairo residents received good news recently when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced preliminary approval of adding another location to the proposed water main project at Country Estates Mobile Home Park. The additional work includes laying pipeline from Route 23B along the entirety of nearby Scotch Rock Road. The project was expanded after it was discovered that testing results for area wells were not consistent and it was likely that contamination was not being contained at the site of the former American Thermostat Factory.

According to County Administrator Shaun Groden, there are a “lot of inconsistencies” with test results varying over time indicating the “contamination is still spreading.” Groden says that there will need to be engineering studies for the additional Scotch Rock extension. However, that will not hold up the plans for the connection to the Estates. The water main located along Route 23B from the Village of Catskill to the Estates’ property already exists. The project will involve installing a 350-foot connection from the road to the well house at the site at an estimated cost of $320,000. The Estates currently has a point of entry water treatment system (POET) installed by the EPA in the late 90s. Under the new plan, the 61 residences at Country Estates will be individually metered.

The entire project calls for a municipal agreement between the Town of Cairo, which is setting up a special water district and the Town of Catskill. The Village of Catskill, as owner of the water, is charged with applying to the EPA for the reimbursement. The County is paying for preliminary studies to send to the EPA Superfund administrators enabling them to reserve sufficient funds for the payout in 2025. According to Groden, early estimates put total project costs at $4.2 million, significantly higher than the Estates’ project alone.

The distance for the Scotch Rock water main is estimated at around 1.5 miles. That part of the project will also involve soil borings and getting the necessary right of ways in order to bring lines from the road to individual homes. Cairo Deputy Supervisor Debra Bogins reports that the town has delivered letters to the 21 homes on Scotch Rock Road notifying them of the project and getting consents for connection to the proposed water main and as well as for meter installation. About 50% of those homes have already responded.

The EPA held a public meeting in August regarding a new proposal to investigate possible residual contamination at the American Thermostat site, acknowledging that after 25 years of treatment groundwater contaminants remain elevated. The investigation was expected to take 3 – 5 years to complete. Residents and lawmakers made it clear they were not willing to wait. The push back resulted in a series of meetings between the EPA and the towns of Cairo and Catskill, Greene County, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and the NYS Department of Health. These meetings lead to the EPA agreeing to reimburse costs related to connecting the Catskill pipeline to the Estates’ site.

At the heart of the matter is the former American Thermostat located on Route 23B in Catskill. In 1981, the Thermostat was discovered to be incorrectly disposing of toxic waste containing volatile organic compounds (VOC) including dumping it on the grounds and into sewer drains that discharged into a tributary of the Catskill Creek. Two years later it made the National Priorities List (NPL) of waste sites making it eligible for Federal Superfunds. It remains on that list.

Groden reports that work on the Country Estates part of the project will likely begin in April or May of 2025. Since it is a short run, that work is expected to move quickly. The larger part of project is expected to begin later in the year. A public meeting to update residents on progress is expected to be announced within the next several weeks.