Bethany Town Supervisor Carl Hyde Jr. would like all town of Bethany residents to know that there will be a first come-first served opportunity for them to fill up their 250 and 500-gallon totes from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
You are asked to only use the Bethany Center Road driveway of the Town Hall to line up. Volunteers will have more information about future fill dates and times, Hyde said.
The town received a temporary reprieve from its drought situation when a 6,700 tanker was sent from the New York State Office of Emergency Management early Wednesday morning to help out the dozens of residents whose wells have gone dry and are without water at their homes.
Hyde said the plan is to fill totes with the water provided and then get the tanker refilled by Genesee County throughout the next 30 days, the time the town has been promised use of the tanker.
Although it was a question as to who would be paying for the water, The Batavian reached out to County Manager Matt Landers, and he said it would cost "only $20" per tanker, so that wasn't likely going to be an issue, no matter which municipality ends up paying for it. Genesee County will take care of the labor to transport the tanker to get refilled and back to Bethany, Landers said Thursday.
Hyde said he believes this is a "temporary bright spot."
"The drought could last until spring," he said Friday.
