Contact: Joe McQueen, (518) 388.4772
(Schenectady, N.Y) – The Schenectady County Legislature today thanked Governor David Paterson for signing legislation, S902-B, that will protect sole source aquifers including the Great Flats Aquifer, which provides high quality drinking water for Schenectady County residents. The Great Flats Aquifer is the sole source of drinking water for about 150,000 County residents.
“We are grateful to Governor Paterson for signing into law this important legislation that was put forward by Schenectady County. It provides many new safeguards to our greatest natural resource in Schenectady County – the Great Flats Aquifer,” said Susan E. Savage Chair of the Schenectady County Legislature.
Schenectady County has stepped up efforts to protect the Great Flats Aquifer in recent years. After issuing violations for threatening the aquifer, the County found that aquifer protections at the State level were inadequate with a maximum fine for polluters of just $200. The fines had not been updated in more than 50 years.
After discovering this shortcoming, the Schenectady County Legislature passed legislation urging the State Legislature to adopt stronger protections and worked with Senator Hugh Farley and former Assemblyman Paul Tonko’s office to prepare legislation. The bill was introduced last year, but it did not receive final approval.
Again this year, the Schenectady County Legislature, the County’s Inter-municipal Watershed Board and local municipalities in the County passed legislation encouraging the State to enact tougher safeguards. The bill was introduced by Senator Farley and Assemblyman Brian Kavanagh. It passed both houses.
The new legislation increases fines to $200 per day per violation. It also provides for increased fines and jail terms for willful violators and the ability of the courts to demand reparations from watershed polluters.
