Save Colonie: A Partnership for Planning has been working for five years to increase transparency and government accountability to residents of Colonie. Our town is now faced with arguably the most consequential decision in a generation, but little information has been provided to the residents. When asked directly, the town board and supervisor have not responded. We deserve better.
The purpose of this blog is to provide information we’ve obtained and raise questions for our officials to answer publicly. We believe this process is necessary before a wise decision can be made about selling Stony Creek Reservoir or any other valuable town asset. Here is the second article:
ARTICLE II: The Interconnect Agreement
Recently, with little discussion or fanfare, Colonie entered into a 10 year Albany-Colonie Interconnect Agreement* (the Interconnect Agreement)(posted here) to share treated water with the City of Albany. Albany’s excellent and plentiful water comes from rural protected reservoirs. Demand for Albany’s water has gone down as the city’s population has decreased. Colonie has reportedly spent millions to connect with Albany’s water system, and is now permitted to withdraw up to a maximum of 13.2 MGD.
However, Albany’s water is not free to us. There is a complex cost formula and limits to how much Colonie can withdraw - Albany’s needs come first, and despite Colonie’s investment of millions so far, Albany can cancel this agreement at any time.
1. How much would it cost if Colonie withdrew the permitted amount of 13.2 MGD for one day? For one week? For one year, as a total replacement for Stony Creek?
2. How much have the Town of Colonie and the Latham Water District (LWD) ratepayers spent to date on the Interconnect Project?
3. What are the LWD’s ongoing financial obligations to maintain the Interconnect infrastructure?
Learn more about the Stony Creek reservoir and the town’s proposal to sell it on our webpage.