Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Brewster gives green light to create new 20-year water plan

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BREWSTER – The city needs to create a new water comp plan for 2025 following the completion is its previous 20-year plan - in its entirety - in a remarkable span of just seven years. In the words of Mayor Art Smyth: “We knocked it out of the park!”

The new plan will be “more of the same” said Director of Public Works Lee Webster.

“It’s a huge, super-handy document that I have to refer to it about once a month because it has all of our information,” said Webster. “It’s got all of our source wells, all of our water rights, all of our piping…”

The water plan also includes all the capital project outlays for the 20-year plan, and that is the issue.

“You got to have a plan to seek funding,” interjected Smyth.

“What started this whole process is we needed to finish the last well house that we have,” said Director of Finance Misty Ruiz. “We tried to obtain funding for that last well house. but we can’t because we do not have a current water system plan. We are kind of stuck until we finish it.”

Not that the city is dead in the water, so to speak.

Ruiz said the city has received a grant for $143,000 for the water system plant and has submitted two applications for other water projects.

The council approved Resolution 2025-01 to move forward with the creation of a new 20-year water system master plan.

Swamp Creek Drainage

Another big project awaiting funding is the Swamp Creek Drainage to mitigate new FEMA flood plain designations. The city applied for a $20 million one-time EPA grant to complete that work.

“That’s at a standstill since the EPA received so many applications for those funds, so we are pursuing other avenues,” Webster said.

Mike Maltais: 360-333-8483 or michael@ward.media

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