Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Groundwater Monitoring topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Consultant outlines town plan to install backyard piezometers to test groundwater and aqueduct impacts
Summary
A consultant told the Marbletown Town Board the town will seek bids and install 20-foot piezometers this summer to measure groundwater and determine whether a leaky aqueduct, not homeowner drainage, is causing persistent wet basements and yards. DEP approvals and contractor contracts could delay installation.
A town consultant told the Marbletown Town Board that the town will install small, flush-mounted piezometers in selected private yards to measure groundwater and distinguish aquifer-driven flooding from ordinary drainage problems.
The consultant, identified in the meeting as Ken, said the probes will be installed roughly 20 feet deep and left flush with the ground so homeowners can mow over them. He said the strategy is to measure water levels while the aqueduct is operating and then again during a planned aqueduct shutdown; a large fall in groundwater level when the aqueduct is shut would indicate the aqueduct is contributing to elevated groundwater. "If it suddenly goes from 2 ft to 20 ft, well we know that's the aqueduct," Ken said during his presentation.
Ken outlined next steps: finalize the Marbletown monitoring plan, solicit bids for piezometer installation and monitoring, and seek contractual approvals. He estimated about $1,000 per piezometer and said DEP insurance reviews can add roughly a month of delay. "I hope to be the end of the summer after contracts are complete," he said when asked about a timeline.
Board members asked practical questions about site access and landscaping disturbance. Ken said installation will use relatively small equipment ("bobcat" size), that contractors could lay mats to protect turf, and that contracts can require landscaping repairs in the appropriate season. He described piezometer construction as a narrow (about 2-inch) bore with bentonite sealing, a screened interval and a flush cap, adding there is no routine need to remove the instruments after installation.
The consultant said the town will prioritize properties where there is direct evidence of aqueduct-related flooding; Walden's (the contractor named in the discussion) will pause other drainage improvements until monitoring provides that evidence. He also described a plan for a one-week aqueduct shutdown test, coordinated with USGS-style monitoring, to produce comparative datasets.
Residents raised the human and financial stakes: some homeowners have installed deep drainage systems or sump pumps at "tens of thousands" of dollars in cost and would seek documentation to support reimbursement or remediation if the aqueduct is shown to be the cause. The consultant said homeowners should retain receipts and that the town will submit recommendations to DEP for any follow-up relief.
The board and consultant agreed to continue meetings with DEP and geologists and to return with a final monitoring plan and schedule.
