Wade, left, and Hinchey

SAUGERTIES – The Village of Saugerties will receive $800,000 from the federal government to fix problems with its sewer system that could potentially lead to a raw sewage contamination of the Esopus Creek, Congressman Maurice Hinchey announced Tuesday afternoon. He was flanked by village officials at Saugerties Beach.

“The Village of Saugerties has some internal problems with regard to the sewer treatment plant and the water distribution system here,” said the congressman, explaining that the original system dates back to 1907 and was not built to withstand the test of time.

“They’re falling apart now and the situation really needs to be addressed.”

The total cost of the project is estimated at around $1.4 million, $800,000 of which has already been picked up by the feds. Hinchey is aiming to secure the remaining $600,000 sometime in the near future.

Director of Special Projects for the Village of Saugerties Alex Wade said when the water distribution system was built a century ago, the pipes were constructed using short two to three foot segments of clay tubing.

“They’re spread out over some very difficult terrain and the big problem is that when it rains they let water infiltrate into the sewer lines and this causes an added load on our sewer plant.”

Aside from allowing water to enter the sewer system, Wade said that there are one or two areas where a break in the sewer line could mean the contamination of the Esopus Creek with raw sewage. This has the opportunity to occur where the land slopes towards the Esopus from the line, he said, but can easily be prevented by making the necessary upgrades.

These upgrades would not be a lengthy project, said Wade, and with funding in place could be expected completed by the end of next year.