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SLEEPY HOLLOW, N.Y. The problem with Sleepy Hollow's water supply lies in its storage, not its supply, a recently-released engineering study said.
Village board members will consider a number of options for expanding its water storage tank at a Jan. 17 public hearing at Village Hall at 7 p.m.
The village has seen a series of water emergencies in 2010 and 2011 because its reserve tank did not have enough capacity. There were 21 events in 2010 that left residents conserving water. Officials note that 2011 has seen fewer water emergencies, but those emergencies lasted longer.
The village's tank has a capacity of 736,450 gallons and has been in service for more than 80 years. Officials have determined that the tank needs to hold 1.4 million gallons for adequate service, especially with the potential arrival of a new real estate development on the General Motors site.
One option trustees will consider is moving the village's water tank to a site on Phelps Hospital property at a cost of $4.8 million. The move is contingent on the hospital getting a lower water rate and the village having to install new high and low pressure water systems.
The village is also looking at moving its reserve tank about 260 west of its existing location at a cost of $2.1 million or to a location on the Kykuit estate at a cost of $2.8 million.
Other options would be to use the existing site on the Rockefeller Park Preserve. The village has a choice of excavating below the existing tank, putting a tank within the existing tank or constructing a hybrid of the two.
Excavating beneath the existing tank would cost about $5.1 million. This option would include taking out about 34 feet of rock below the tank, but would have minimal visual impact for park-goers.
Putting a tank inside the existing tank would be finding a tank that extended 85 feet above the existing roof line so that the tank's capacity could be increased. The cost of this project would be about $2.3 million. The project would significantly alter the visual impact for park-goers.
Village Administrator Anthony Giaccio said cost would be heavily weighed when the board decides which option they want to pursue, but he couldn't speculate which option board members preferred.
Sleepy Hollow's water system serves the entire village, including Phelps Hospital, and the New York Life building located in Mount Pleasant. It has a maximum capacity of five million gallons per day.
The village gets water from the Catskill Aqueduct and moves it to the pump station located by the Tarrytown Lakes. The water is pumped from the station to a reserve tank located in the Rockefeller Park Preserve.
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