BY NANCY KELLY
Kings County Advertiser/Register
The next step in Kingston's trek towards establishing a village-wide water system will be explored at a public meeting scheduled for early August.
Kingston's clerk-treasurer, Greg Towne, says representatives from Kings County will present findings from their recent investigation into the potential for Kingston to move from individual wells to a water system owned and managed by the village.
"They have prepared a document that looks at costing and the infrastructure needed to do this," Towne said July 20. Options of the village drilling its own wells or hooking up to the Greenwood water utility will also be discussed, he added.
Towne said identifying costs is a key component in any infrastructure development project. "We need this information to approach the provincial and federal governments for assistance. And it could take up to one or two years for them to decide on our application."
Little effort has been dedicated to the issue since 2007 when the village conducted a water study. While that study didn't identify "any pressing need" for the development of a municipal water system, village officials remain concerned about "what-if" scenarios.
Were the village to experience an environmental issue or emergency that tainted the ground water supply which feeds the village's well system, Towne cautioned, there would be little that could be done. He said a municipal water system affords more control over local water resources.
The public information session is scheduled for August 10 at 7 p.m. at the Kingston fire hall.
