"Dedicate The Money" - Palisades Infrastructure At Risk - 5 October, 2004

Two precious quality-of-life necessities must be saved in the plan by Albany to sell reservoir rights to United Water: the drinking supply and the park system.

United Water needs more supply because Rockland's insatiable appetite is growing. The New York state park system, principally the Palisades Interstate Park Commission holdings, needs help badly. The PIPC infrastructure is in serious deterioration, and years of neglect by Albany and Trenton have pushed the bi-state system to the edge of the Palisades cliffs.

Ken Kreiser, PIPC deputy director, says that United Water's fee in the water- rights sale would go to the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation. The state provides half the PIPC's annual budget.

Good, but not good enough. We call on Gov. George Pataki and the state Legislature to require that all funds from selling the water rights in Harriman State Park be dedicated to the park system, with particular care given to the PIPC holdings.

Under the plan, United Water, Rockland's principal supplier, will pay New York to obtain the rights to supply and a treatment plant in Harriman Park and utilize the reservoir at the old Letchworth Village facility. As reported by Laura Incalcaterra, the additional water could help the company ensure an adequate supply to Rockland residents and businesses on days when water use is high, typically summertime.

In recent drought years, the supply picture has been scary, and mandatory restrictions have been in place.

United Water New York, the PIPC and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation have signed a letter of intent that would allow the deal to take place.

The entities, which have been discussing the plan for several years, will begin final negotiations to determine the water company's fee, among other issues, says United Water spokesman Richard Henning.

But put that fee to work in New York's parks. In particular, the PIPC parks. This Traveling Editorial Page has noted deteriorated roads in Tallman State Park; rough trail at Hook Mountain; a food shack leaning against the beautiful but donated carousel at Bear Mountain; buildings in need of renovation; etc. The PIPC system is tired, in New York and New Jersey.

The fine people who run these parks have not been given the operating budget to meet needs let alone provide for improvement. This has gone on for years.

May that begin to end with dedicating all the money from the water-rights sale to the state parks system, with at least 50 percent of it going to the PIPC, since that is where the water comes from.

United Water wants to use the supply from three reservoirs that once served Letchworth, a defunct state facility for people with disabilities. The treatment plant and reservoirs are now part of Harriman State Park, which is managed by the PIPC.

The Letchworth system could supply about 1.5 million gallons of water per day. Average daily water use in Rockland is about 29 million gallons, but that swells to about 45 million on hot summer days. The record is 46 million gallons, and Henning says the Letchworth acquisition would ensure the company could meet such demand.

The agreement would have to be approved by United Water's Board of Directors and the PIPC, as well as the state comptroller, attorney general, Health Department and Department of Environmental Conservation. May it include dedicating the money for park use.

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