Beacon City

Both tap water and bottled water typically originate from rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels across land surfaces or through the ground, it naturally dissolves minerals and, in some cases, radioactive materials, while also potentially picking up substances from animal or human activities.

Potential contaminants in source water include: microbial contaminants; inorganic compounds; pesticides and herbicides; organic chemical contaminants; and radioactive elements. To ensure public safety, the State and EPA establish regulations limiting contaminant levels in public water systems, while State Health Department and FDA regulations set similar standards for bottled water.

Beacon's water system draws from three surface sources (Cargill, Mt. Beacon, and Melzingah reservoirs) and three groundwater sources (Beacon wells 1 & 2 and Fishkill well). During 2017, we experienced some source limitations during drought conditions. The water from these sources is blended according to availability and demand, then treated at our Liberty Street filtration plant. The plant capacity is 4 million gallons daily, with our 2017 average flow at 2.454 million gallons per day and maximum withdrawal at 3.052 million gallons per day.

Treatment chemicals used in 2017 included: Alum for filtration coagulation (120,360 lbs); Polymer as a coagulant aid (380 lbs); Zinc Orthophosphate for corrosion control (7,822 lbs); and Chlorine for disinfection (14,067 lbs).

The NYS Department of Health completed a source water assessment that rated our sources as having elevated susceptibility to contaminants. This rating primarily reflects the proximity of our wells to permitted discharge facilities, residential land use patterns, and the fact that our wells draw from fractured bedrock where overlying soils may not provide adequate protection from potential contamination. The wells are also in a flood-susceptible area.

Our water system serves approximately 15,000 residents (excluding Downstate and Fishkill Correctional Facilities) through roughly 5,000 service connections. Total water produced in 2017 was 900,302,000 gallons, with daily average production of 2,454,000 gallons. Water distribution included: 356,819,000 gallons to residential and commercial customers; 97,416,528 gallons to the Town of Fishkill; and 205,508,000 gallons to Department of Corrections facilities. Plant operations used 4,837,000 gallons, leaving approximately 235,727,472 gallons unaccounted for due to system leaks, water main breaks, municipal use, system flushing, fire department operations, meter inaccuracies, and service theft.

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