Mayor Dwyer: Water System Maintenance

Hydrant Flushing This Week

Approximately twice a year, as part of necessary maintenance for our water system, we must flush fire hydrants to discharge sediment in the water lines. This process temporarily affects water quality and may cause discolored water. Hydrant flushing will take place beginning Tues., May 4 through Fri., May 7. If you notice discolored water, try running an outside hose for a few minutes until the water clears up. Although very inconvenient, this is a much-needed process to ensure continuous water quality throughout the year. 

Herbicide Treatment Scheduled Next Week

The Village of Greenwood Lake is scheduled to treat portions of the lake with an herbicide known as “Clipper” on Mon., May 10. The areas we will treat include the north west arm by Defeo’s Marina, the area in front of Thomas Morahan Waterfront Park, the east arm from the 17A bridge heading south toward Chapel Island. There is a 24 hours swimming restriction and a five-day irrigation restriction (watering your lawn is not advised if you are adjacent to the treatment area). There are no restrictions on fishing or using the lake. A mailer went out to 1,583 residences throughout both the village and town notifying them of their opportunity to offer comment on the treatment. Zero responses were received. 

Legislation Supporting Lake Patrol & Safety

Last week I was notified by my good friend Assemblyman Karl Brabenec that our legislation, Assembly Bill A06189, has been formally announced on the floor and made its way into Committee. The bill was sponsored by a member of the Assembly majority party, Aileen Gunther and co-sponsored by our local legislator, Karl Brabenec. The bill fixes a loophole created many years ago. Currently, every boat that is registered in NY has a fee collected by the state that is intended to go back to local police marine units that enforce navigation and safety laws on the water. Unfortunately, the law would not allow municipalities to apply for the funding when counties apply. We have created a bill that will amend that law and allow both counties and local governments to apply for the funding if the funding does not exceed the county cap for funding. If approved, the Village will be reimbursed 50% of all water police funding (approximately $40,000 annually). I look forward to working with Senator Mike Martucci on pushing through similar legislation in the New York Senate and lobbying for the bill state-wide. These are funds that WE pay the state through boat registrations and we are entitled to have those funds come back to our community and work for us.