This past weekend’s high temperatures and humidity created some high anxiety for Genesee County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens, the person in charge of overseeing the municipality’s water supply.
“It was a stressful weekend,” Hens said, reporting to the County Legislature’s Public Service Committee on Monday afternoon.
Hens said the county water was being produced “100 percent off wells” over the weekend, adding that Well C in the City of Batavia was active and “came in very handy.”
This summer’s dry conditions have resulted in the groundwater dropping five to six inches a week, he said, slowing down the production of Well A. Furthermore, the city had to stop using creek water on Saturday afternoon because of the increased turbidity (mud) levels.
“Between (Wells) A, B and C, we were producing about 2.5 million gallons, which is 2 million short of the demand of the city plant that day,” he noted, adding the system relied on the tanks for most of the day Saturday.
The situation was a bit brighter on Monday morning, he said, as the system was “pushing out about 3.7 million gallons” – with the city able to access creek water once again.
Looking ahead, he said the heat and humidity are expected to subside and he hopes things return to normal.
In a related development, the PSC approved Hens’ request to apply for a Water Infrastructure Investment Act grant to assist with project cost escalation related to the completion of the Genesee County Phase 2 water supply upgrades.
Hens said the WIIA program provides up to 60 percent of the capital project costs up to $5 million.
The total anticipated costs related to the remaining Phase 2 water supply upgrades are estimated at $1.6 million. The WIIA grant, if successful, would fund up to 60 percent of these additional project costs.
