Tannersville will get $1.2 million from the DEC to shore up a deteriorating dam that poses a “significant hazard” and protect the village’s largest water supply, Mayor Lee McGunnigle said Monday.
Work on the 17-foot-high dam in Reservoir No. 3, north of the village, includes improved embankments to prevent overflowing, while its spillway will be replaced to ensure that water released downstream can be controlled. Tannersville is one of two Greene County municipalities, along with Catskill, that received funding as part of Governor Kathy Hochul’s plan to invest $265 million for improvements in water quality and climate resiliency statewide.
“I’m very grateful for the governor’s initiatives for rural communities,” said McGunnigle, a chiropractor and chef known as Mayor Doctor. “Without this funding, this project would have been a devastating fiscal crisis to our community.”
At its last assessment in 2019, the DEC said the 68-year-old dam was in poor condition. It’s been closely monitored and maintained since then, awaiting funding for the work. Water from the 350-foot-long structure, which has been battered by erosion caused by severe rainstorms, flows south under Main Street (Route 23A).
“This project is the final piece for ensuring availability of a pristine water supply for our residents and businesses in the greater Tannersville community,” and the watershed for New York City, McGunnigle said. “It’s a matter of doing what’s right, funding infrastructure, giving people clean water.”
The grant is coming through the DEC’s Water Quality Improvement Program. Bids for the project are expected to go out in June and work is tentatively scheduled to begin this fall.
Barbara Reina is a contributing reporter. Reach her at reporting@theoverlooknews.com.