FALLSBURG—The Town of Fallsburg water and wastewater systems might be in trouble if something is not done soon. That was the conclusion of the May 9, Fallsburg Town Board meeting.

The board meetings are usually held at a town hall in South Fallsburg, but because of the interest in the project of upgrading the South Fallsburg wastewater plant, the meeting had to be moved to the auditorium of the Junior-Senior highschool of the Fallsburg Central School District.

Ken Ellsworth from Keystone Associates, Architects, Engineers, and Surveyors LLC gave an overview—to those who attended the meeting in person and over the Zoom video app—of the current state of the total water system of Fallsburg.

The Fallsburg water system, which has its beginnings in the 1940s, now has 24 wells, 11 tanks, and 60 miles of water pipes supplying water to most of the residents and businesses of Fallsburg.

Ellsworth said he is aware of some of the concerns residents have, one of those being - does the Fallsburg water system have enough water?

“It’s not whether we have enough water; it’s whether we can pump the water at a rate of which it’s needed,” said Ellsworth.

Ellsworth said several factors would slow the rate of water, such as pipe leaks, hydrant testing, fires and the influx of residents during the summer months.

The increasing demand for the water system is at its peak during the summer months when the Town of Fallsburg’s population doubles from summer camps and those renting or using their homes for the summer.

Furthermore, Ellsworth said that there are other developments in the planning stages that, once they go online, will put further strain on the system.

One example that was given was the Davos Water System in Fallsburg which, on an average day according to Ellsworth’s report, pumped 63,964 gallons per day (GPD) At maximum capacity it pumps 126,000 GPD.

Ellsworth said once the prospect projects are completed and are running, the water system can go from 88 percent of total pumping capacity to 314 percent over the average pumping rate at the Davos Water System.

The South Fallsburg Wastewater treatment plant, which the town is looking to upgrade, is more than 60 years old and services homes in Woodbourne, Hurleyville Old Falls and South Fallsburg.

The permitted capacity for the plan is 3.36 million gallons per day (MGD). According to a study done in July 2021, the plant reached an average of 3.23 MGD, almost reaching capacity.

According to the report, once the projects that are in development go online, it is projected to go over the capacity allowed for the wastewater treatment plant.

Besides the upgrade to the South Fallsburg Wastewater Treatment Plant, the town wants to start a study on the Mountaindale wastewater treatment plant to increase capacity and replace and repair aging pipes.

Those who attended and spoke during the public comment section of the meeting cited the environmental impacts of future development and called for a moratorium on projects from now in order to fully assess the ongoing issues with the water system and limit the strain.

The town board said there would be future meetings that would allow more input from residents on future water system projects.