Commercial customers of the CPWA who are required to have testable backflow prevention devices installed on their connections to the water system, must conduct annual testing of these devices pursuant to the NYS Sanitary Code.  These commercial customers have been notified of these requirements and must have a certified tester inspect the device(s) and submit their test data via an online application called VEPO CrossConnex.

Information on submitting the test data is included on letters mailed to the customer.  Customers need to supply their VEPO CrossConnex (VCC) number to the certified tester in order for them to submit the data.

Customers must have these devices tested and test data submitted annually.  A list of certified testers can be found here.

Cloudy water is caused by air bubbles in the water. It is neither a reason for alarm, nor a health risk. It usually happens during the coldest part of winter, when water temperatures are at their lowest. Customers in the northern end of the CPWA system, generally in the Exit 10 to Exit 12 areas, will see this phenomenon more than customers in the rest of the water system. The reason is that during the winter months, the water that the CPWA purchases from the Saratoga County Water Authority remains predominantly in that part of the system and cloudy water is normally only seen in water originating in a surface water source, such as a lake or river. The SCWA takes its water from the upper Hudson River, while the CPWA's own sources are all groundwater wells. Air is more soluble in water that is colder or as pressure increases. In the winter, as the source water for the SCWA nears freezing temperatures, air dissolves into the water easily and with the addition of pressure in the water mains, the air remains in solution until it reaches the customer's tap. As the water is allowed to warm slightly in the piping of the customer's home, or after it is placed in a glass and pressure is relieved, the air will begin to come out of solution in the form of bubbles, much like a carbonated soft drink. As stated earlier, this condition is not harmful and it is not necessary to allow the air to dissipate prior to drinking. It's just air. Once the cold days of February get past us, customers should see the cloudy water disappear for the remainder of the year.

12/9/2016 10:00:00 AM

OWNERS/LANDLORDS RESPONSIBILITY FOR RENTERS/TENANTS WATER BILLS It is the policy of the Clifton Park Water Authority that all Owners and/or Landlords of real property are responsible for all water charges and water service fees provided to the real estate owned by the Owner and/or Landlords. As an accommodation to any Owner and/or Landlord, if separate water services and meters are provided to tenants, the Clifton Park Water Authority will send separate invoices to each tenant. However, in the event the tenant does not remit payment in full within 90 days of the due date, the owner/Landlord remains fully responsible for all charges. If a tenant who receives a separate water bill from the Clifton Park Water Authority defaults in payment, the Clifton Park Water Authority will provide notice to the Owner/Landlord and they will then be billed for the expense.

11/1/2016

As schools complete their mandated lead and copper testing and the results are made public, many see the levels being found at certain locations and become concerned that their water may too be tainted. It is important when listening to these news stories to understand these results and how lead and copper gets into the water, how the testing is conducted and why. Lead and copper are elements that are almost never found in source waters in any significant amounts. Instead, lead and copper usually finds its way into drinking water from the service pipe and internal plumbing in the building. Water that is corrosive will typically leach lead and/or copper from the plumbing, resulting in high levels of these contaminants, when given enough time to do so. Sampling for lead and copper is done differently than sampling for any other chemical regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Health. It is done by taking what is known as a "first draw" sample. Water is left to sit in the piping of the building for a minimum of six hours and then the first water drawn from the faucet after this rest period is collected for testing. Since the process of leaching these metals into the water takes some time, water that has not been sitting in the pipes for a prolonged period will not have high lead or copper levels. The Clifton Park Water Authority system has never had issues with lead and copper. As a result, the CPWA is on a reduced monitoring schedule of once every three years. The issues that were recently in the news with Shenendehowa Schools were restricted to certain taps within those buildings, most likely due to piping, fittings, or fixtures on that particular internal system. It is not a result of any issues with the water provided by the CPWA. Although the CPWA does not have problems with lead and copper, customers who want to ensure that they are drinking the lowest levels of these contaminants possible should let their water run for 15 - 30 seconds in the morning before drinking. Usually letting the water run until it is a consistent cold temperature will guarantee that you are drawing water that was not sitting in the internal piping of the home where it has had a chance to warm and potentially leach contaminants from the piping. Information on contaminants in your water can be found in the CPWA's Annual Water Quality Report, which can be found on the this website.

9/14/2015

The Clifton Park Water Authority has begun using Twitter as its primary means of notifying customers of emergency alerts, including water main breaks, boil-water advisories and any other system issues that customers need to be aware of. Twitter allows customers to find out on their mobile devices instantaneously whenever an alert is posted by the CPWA. To sign up, just click on the "Follow @CPWater1" in the upper left corner of the CPWA home screen. Customers already familiar with Twitter can just follow us @CPWater1. The Water Authority will continue to use the website to post alerts and announcements, so customers who do not have smart phones can still find up-to-date information about water system issues.

NEW YORK STATE DEPT OF HEALTH

1.  What is the proper way to disinfect my water so  that it is safe to drink?  The preferred method of treatment is boiling.  Boiling water kills harmful bacteria and parasites.  Bring water to a full ROLLING boil for at least 1 minute to kill most infectious organisms.

2.  How should I wash my hands during a boil water advisory?  Based on the current conditions of the affected public water supplies, vigorous hand washing with soap and your tap water is safe for basic personal hygiene.  If you are washing your hands and preparing food you should use boiled (then cooled) water or bottled water with hand washing soap.

3,  Is potentially contaminated water (where Cryptosporidium is not the significant contaminant) safe for washing dishes or clothes? 

Yes, if you rinse hand washed dishes for a minute in dilute bleach (1 tablespoon per gallon of water).  Allow dishes to completely air dry.

Yes, if you clean your dishes in home dishwasher using the hot wash (170 degrees) and dry cycles.  Note that not all dishwashers reach this temperature.  Again, allow dishes to completely dry.

Yes, for commercial dishwashers if you use a NSF listed washer manufactured with either a hot wash (170 degrees) or a disinfectant rinse.

It is safe to wash clothes in tap water.

4. Is potentially contaminated water safe for bathing and shaving?  The water may be used for showering, baths, shaving and washing, so long as care is taken not to swallow water.  Children and disabled individuals should have their bathing supervised to ensure water is not ingested.  The time spent bathing should be minimized.  Though the risk of illness is minimal, individuals who have recent surgical wounds, are immunosuppressed, or suffering from chronic illness may want to consider using bottled or boiled water for cleansing until the advisory is lifted.

5.  How should I wash fruits and vegetables and make ice?  Fruits and vegetables should be washed with boiled (then cooled water) or bottled water.  Ice should be made with boiled water or bottled water.

6.  What if I have already consumed potentially contaminated water?  Even if someone has consumed potentially contaminated water from either a public water system or a private well before they were aware of the boil water advisory, the likelihood of becoming ill is low.  Anyone experiencing symptoms of the gastroenteritis, such as diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, with or without fever, should seek medical attention.

7.  What infectious organisms might be present in contaminated water?  Disease transmission from contaminated water occurs principally by ingesting water.  The major organisms of concern are protozoa such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium and bacteria such as Shigella, E. coli and viruses.  These organisms primarily affect the gastrointestinal system, causing diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea and vomiting with or without fever.  Most of these illnesses are not usually serious or life threatening except in the elderly, the very young or those who are immunocompromised. 

2/15/2012

On Tuesday, February 14th, two individuals claiming to be representatives of the Clifton Park Water Authority gained access to a home in Clifton Park on the pretense that they were there to take water samples. The individuals then left the home only to return when the house was unoccupied to commit a robbery. Residents should be aware that while the Clifton Park Water Authority does take samples throughout the water system on a regular basis to ensure the safety of the drinking water supply, all CPWA field staff performing random sampling in the system wear uniforms and drive vehicles that identify them as Water Authority personnel. They also carry photo identification cards with them. If you are approached to have your water sampled within the home, and you wish to get further confirmation of the identity or purpose of the visit, you can call our office at 383-1122 to verify that the person is indeed an employee of the Authority, and that he is there on CPWA business. If the person representing himself as a CPWA employee, or any other utility employee for that matter, fails to produce ID, or if you have any doubt that an individual is who they say they are, refuse entry and call 911.

11/17/2014

Over the last two years, the CPWA has completed significant capital improvements to the water system, including the installation of an aeration treatment system at our Plank Road facility, refurbishment of the Boyack Road Treatment Plant’s water storage tank and the installation of 7,950 feet of transmission main on Crescent Road. The total cost of these projects was $1,713,469. Additionally, the CPWA recently authorized the expense of $715,457 to add additional cartridge filtration to the Boyack Water Treatment Plant to improve the quality and capacity of that facility. In order to keep up with the increasing costs associated with the operation of the water system and to allow us to continue to afford capital improvements to the water system that will improve water quality, service and capacity, it is necessary for us to adjust rates and charges from time to time. The CPWA Board of Directors has adopted increases to the water rate and Basic Service Charge that will take effect in the upcoming fiscal year. These increases will ensure our ability to continue providing the customers of the CPWA system with quality drinking water and superior customer service going forward. New Proposed Rates Effective January 1, 2015. Beginning January 1, 2015, the quarterly Basic Service Charge for customers with a standard ¾” meter will change from $16.17 to $17.25. Customers with larger meters will see a proportionately equal increase in their Basic Service Charge. The Base Water Rate will change from $3.76 to $3.87 per thousand gallons of water used. Under the current rate structure, this will cover all water used in a quarter up to 60,000 gallons. All usage over 60,000 gallons will be billed at $7.74 per thousand gallons. The average CPWA customer (20,000 gallons per quarter) will see an increase in their water bill of $5.44 per quarter, or $1.81 per month.

4/22/2014
Test

3/24/2014

The Saratoga County Water Authority has agreed to move forward with the installation of added filtration at its treament facility in Moreau that will remove the disinfection byproducts from the finished water. The SCWA has been battling the byproducts on and off for the past few years, and has recently seen some of its customers, including the CPWA, discontinue the purchase of water as a result. The County Authority, having exhausted all other less expensive methods of dealing with the problem, decided to move forward with a large capital project to solve it once and for all. After pilot testing three different treatment methods, it was conclusive that Granular Activated Carbon was the most effective treatment for these contaminants, providing near 100% removals. The timeline proposed by the SCWA would have the new treatment online in late 2014/early 2015. The installation involves the construction of a building and 5 GAC pressure filters.

11/20/2013

The Clifton Park Water Authority (CPWA) has temporarily discontinued the purchase of water from the Saratoga County Water Authority (SCWA) and has reached a short-term deal with the Town of Glenville that will allow the CPWA to meet its water demand over the next several months while the SCWA works to resolve some issues with water quality. The SCWA has been battling problems with disinfection byproducts, and has been making operational changes and adjusting chemical additions to combat the issue. Disinfection byproducts have no known acute health effects, but it is suggested that long-term exposure to these compounds could have an adverse effect on human health. The SCWA Board of Directors recently approved the design of additional treatment equipment to be installed at its filtration plant in Moreau to rectify this situation. The CPWA will continue to receive water from Glenville until we are sure that the water from the SCWA is completely safe for consumption by our customers. In the meantime, customers in the northern end of the CPWA system, who were previously receiving water from the SCWA, can expect to see some changes in their water, especially with respect to water hardness. Water from Glenville originates in groundwater wells, which inherently contain greater amounts of certain minerals than does surface water and often includes higher levels of calcium carbonate hardness. Customers may notice increased hard water deposits on dishes, flatware, fixtures, etc. over the next several months. Updates to the water supply situation within the CPWA system will be posted on the CPWA website, or can be obtained by contacting our main office.

11/14/2013 10:00:00 AM

9/28/2012

The Clifton Park Water Authority has approved changes to the water rate and water rate structure, which will take effect January 1, 2013. The water rate structure, which is currently a three-tiered system, will be changed to a two-tiered system, with water used up to 60,000 gallons per quarter billed at the base rate, and all water over 60,000 gallons billed at twice the base rate. The base water rate will increase by 6.5% to $3.76 per thousand gallons. A 5% increase in the Basic Service Charge will also take effect at that time, bringing the charge for a standard 3/4" meter to $16.17 per quarter. These changes will be applied to all water bills sent out after January 1, 2013.

8/10/2012

Over the past year, the Clifton Park Water Authority (CPWA) has examined ways to update its rate structure to make it current with the system that serves you today. Your water system has advanced in the past 10 years through significant capital and technological improvements totaling over $5.3 million (See back of page for a list of completed projects). While costs and expenses have increased as they have for service providers and businesses of all types, the CPWA has not changed its water rates since 2003, or its rate structure since 1997. A new structure will normalize rates based on usage and will appropriately meet the current and future needs of CPWA and its customers. Under the new structure, some customers will see an increase; others will see a decrease based on usage. At its September 2012 meeting, the CPWA Board of Directors will be voting to adopt a new rate structure. The meeting date, time and location will be set at either the July or August board meeting. All CPWA board meetings are open to the public. Dates and times for all meetings of the CPWA Board of Directors are available on the CPWA website at www.cpwa.org. New Proposed Rates Effective January 1, 2013. Beginning January 1, 2013, the quarterly Basic Service Charge for customers with a standard ¾” meter will change from $15.40 to $16.17. The Base Water Rate will change from $3.53 to $3.76 per thousand gallons of water used. Under the new rate structure, this will cover all water used in a quarter up to 60,000 gallons. All usage over 60,000 gallons will be billed at $7.52 per thousand gallons. If you have questions regarding your bill or service please contact the CPWA at 383-1122.

10/7/2011

After testing showed that the Saratoga County Water Authority had brought the levels of disinfection byproducts down below the maximum contaminant levels, the Clifton Park Water Authority once again began the flow of water into its system. The County Authority made a number of modifications to its treatment plant operation, and spent several days flushing the system in an effort to remedy the problem. The County will continue to flow increased amounts of water through the system, reducing the detention time of the water in the 30-mile transmission main, and decreasing the amount of time the water spends in contact with the chlorine added for disinfection. Frequent testing for disinfection byproducts will continue to ensure that the water being supplied to the CPWA customers is safe to drink.