The Status of Municipal Water in Greensboro – Fall 2012 Update
During the past few years, the water supply for the Greensboro Fire District #1 (the municipal water system supplying both year round and seasonal residents) has been under increasing pressure. Many of the water lines are leaking badly, causing stress on both the supply of water and potentially to its quality. Improvements to the 90 year old system were mandated by the State of Vermont in the last couple of years primarily to insure no quality problems. An extensive project to replace the existing water lines throughout the system has been planned for this year. (Fall 2012 and Spring 2013).
However, this Fall an additional problem was found. The wells that supply the District have needed unforeseen repairs. This problem has both delayed the start of the water line replacement project and has resulted in a temporary moratorium on new hookups to the Fire District #1 system. One well with pump problems has been repaired. The largest well, which has stopped producing adequate water to meet the District’s needs, needs to have relief in order to maintain its ability to produce. The District is presently siting a location for an additional well that they hope to have online within the year.
The combination of the new well, the repairs to the existing wells, and the replacement project for the system piping will cut down on leakage by 30-40%, will give the current wells the ability to recharge, and will increase the water volume deliverable to end users. It is expected that the temporary moratorium on water hookups will be lifted as well.
The replacement piping project will be completed in phases, with minimal disruption to water service.
Who pays?
The Fire District #1 system supplies over 200 users in both the full-time and seasonal community. It is a municipal system that is completely separate from the Town of Greensboro. In the fall of 2010, legal voters of the Fire District passed a US Department of Agriculture bond to finance some of the $2.95 million cost of the replacement project. The actual project will be financed by a loan and a smaller grant from the USDA. Paying back the loan for the work will result in almost doubling the yearly cost of water to users. The cost of the new well will also be borne by users in the Water District.
Seasonal users will be subject to the same increase in costs as full time residents. The cost of providing water is determined by the infrastructure not the actual use, so the cost of providing the first gallon of water to a property dictates the cost. The municipal system provides clean and safe water to all of its users.
The Proposed Greensboro Fire Station Project
A new fire station, located at the Four Corners, is also being proposed for Greensboro. If Town of Greensboro votes to use the municipal system, the Town will bear the cost of connecting that site to the Fire District #1 system (approximately $120,000.) Further information on the total cost of the Fire Department project is available from the Town Hall and the Greensboro Fire Department.
Further information on the Water Pipe replacement project can be found here under Resources on the GA site.
