The Town of Mamaroneck will contribute $167,400 to repair several aging water mains that serve the town.
Last week the Town Board voted unanimously to contribute $46,500—which accounts for their 18.4 percent share of water from Westchester Joint Water Works (WJWW)—to the repair of Shaft 22, a water main originating in Eastchester that supplies water to the town. In 2011, repairs to Shaft 22 totaled $1.5 million after a serious water main break that disrupted service for days.
"We're hoping to do some proactive repairs to it [Shaft 22] so we don't have another $1.5 million repair," said Town Supervisor Nancy Seligson.
In addition, the town will contribute $120,900 to the $650,000 repair of 16 and 30 inch mains that feed into the Larchmont Reservoir at the end of Shaft 22. Because of the pipes' proximity to the Reservoir, workers had to utilize larger pumps as well as build shoring to access deeper pipes, all of which contributed to the higher than average cost for repairs.
"These systems are quite old and they've outlasted their expected life span...it's too bad that we didn't pay attention in the many, many decades since it was built," said Seligson.
Some board members, though, put the issue of clean water into perspective.
"We take our clean water for granted," said Councilwoman Phyllis Wittner, continuing, "You don't hear of cholera or the diseases we once had not so long ago."
