Press release
Pandemic impacted infrastructure projects and historic low water levels in aquifer feeding city treatment plant
BATAVIA, NY – Genesee County officials continue to ask residents to conserve water, especially on hot dry days. According to county officials, there are two driving factors behind the conservation efforts. The first is that the water infrastructure improvements the County planned to have in place by the summer of 2020 still have not been completed due to complications with the pandemic. Second, and more recently, the water level in the aquifer that feeds the City of Batavia Water Treatment Plant is approaching historic lows.
The chart below shows how far below normal water levels are for this time of the year (-7 ft.). The orange/yellow line is 2021, the dashed line is the median (most common) and the lavender line is 2020. The deeper the water is below ground level, the more inefficient the well pumps are. The City of Batavia Water Treatment Plant provides nearly 50% of the County’s water needs.
The County stressed it has plenty of water 24/7/365 on average days, but without conservation efforts, producing enough water on hot, dry days will be challenging as groundwater levels will continue to drop through the summer. The County is again asking everyone to be smart with their water as summer progresses.
Please avoid watering lawns and washing cars. There is plenty of other ways to save water as well. Without water conservation measures in place, had events like Monday’s large barn fire in Le Roy occurred in the middle of a hot/dry stretch, there would have been major supply issues. There are plans in place for emergency water supply and pumping, but it is much easier if everyone works together to do a small part.