Water resale debate returns to Goshen
Goshen. A proposed law would allow the municipality to buy and sell surplus supplies from other municipalities.
Goshen /
| 13 Feb 2024 | 05:47
At the Feb. 8 meeting, board members discussed the buying and selling of municipal water. (
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Councilman Douglas Bloomfield questioned the reasoning behind the proposed law. (
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At the February 8 Goshen Town Board meeting, board members discussed a law that, if passed, would allow the town to buy and sell excess water from outside municipalities. Town Supervisor Joseph Betro clarified the logistics of the plan, noting that the town of Goshen would be able to purchase water from nearby municipalities that hold an excess supply, and then sell that water to a separate municipality for profit. For example, Goshen could purchase water from the city of Middletown, and then sell that water to the town of Chester for a profit. The proposed law would also allow Goshen to sell off excess water from its own supply, if it desired to do so.
Supervisor Betro added that this is a common practice among Orange County municipalities that hold a surplus of the vital resource. Betro’s advocacy for the law appears to be on the basis that profits would benefit the citizens of Goshen by being reinvested into the water district, thereby lowering residential water bills. The concept was previously brought up in 2023.
Board member Douglas Bloomfield, a science specialist with nearly 30 years of experience in the chemical industry, voiced a number of concerns on the topic. Bloomfield initially expressed his confusion as to the purpose of these dealings, asking the board why they were considering the law in the first place. “We’re not in the retail business,” Bloomfield noted, before adding that he didn’t think it was the place of the town board to turn a profit on natural resources. Bloomfield later stated that he believes the law could eventually cost taxpayers big, by way of contamination lawsuits, down the line. Bloomfield insisted that if this law were enacted, the town would have to be exceedingly cautious about the water that they purchased from other municipalities.
Betro ensured the board that the water would be properly tested prior to being sold off or retained for use by Goshen residents. A public hearing is set to be held on February 22; residents will have a chance to voice their opinions about the law prior to the board vote.