KINGSTON –The Kingston City Board of Water Commissioners has ended the drought emergency that has been in place since the summer months that experienced no rainfall.
At the Board of Water Commissioners meeting on Wednesday, November 9, members voted to end the drought emergency and downgrade to a drought alert.
The elevation at the Cooper Lake Reservoir will be low for the duration of remaining construction there, and therefore the drought alert, which means voluntary water conservation, will remain in effect until further notice.
“When the DEC mandated the work at Cooper Lake, we had no idea that our area would suffer such a severe drought combined with extreme temperatures,” said Mayor Steven Noble. “However, we had a plan in place, and thanks to the hard work of the Kingston Water Department and help from our neighbors, we were able to keep the water turned on for our residents with no service interruptions.”
To accommodate New York State-mandated construction work for the Cooper Lake Dam Rehabilitation Project, the level at Cooper Lake Reservoir was lowered 10 feet below maximum capacity in July 2021. That level must be maintained for the duration of the dam construction, which is expected to be completed by late summer 2023.
More at https://kingston-ny.gov/water.
