Covid-19 Response

With the severe threat of Covid-19 continuing in the United States and here in Saratoga County, many are concerned with the precautions taken by businesses to protect the public when providing goods and services to them.   There may even be some who question the safety of their drinking water through all of this.

The safety of the water provided to the customers of the CPWA is our primary concern.  The treatment and testing that is done continuously by public water supplies, under the guidance of the NYS Department of Health and the US Environmental Protection Agency, ensures that the water our customers receive is safe for human consumption.

Water from the CPWA is either from underground wells, which are isolated from the outside environment, or purchased from the Saratoga County Water Authority, who has treatment in place to remove pathogens from source waters.  As a result, the threat of contamination to drinking water supplies by any virus is extremely low.

Water supply employees are considered essential employees, and as such our employees have worked continuously throughout this pandemic to ensure the continued flow of safe drinking water to our customers.  Our employees use recommended safe practices in the performance of their duties and we have made temporary operational changes to minimize the chance of employees contracting or spreading the virus. We have also limited our interaction with customers to emergency-only situations.

If you have any questions about your drinking water, or the CPWA's response to Covid-19, please feel free to contact us at 518-383-1122.

Water Rate Increase for 2021

The Clifton Park Water Authority will be raising its base water rate by 2%, starting on January 1, 2021.  All bills issued after that date will be calculated using the new rate.

The rate will increase from $3.95 per thousand gallons to $4.03 per thousand gallons.  This amounts to a quarterly increase of $1.50 for the average customer using 18,750 gallons per quarter.  The quarterly basic service charge will remain at its current level, which is $17.25 for a typical residential customer.

The last rate increase for the CPWA was on January 1, 2016.

With Cold Weather, Customers May See Cloudy Water

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.