Old Westbury water use jumps as officials worry about added demand from campus expansions

Officials in the Village of Old Westbury, struggling with rising water demand, have warned taxpayers to check their water bills for errors after usage increased by 12 million gallons -- 8.2 percent -- this year.

The village, which has its own water supply system, withdrew 731 million gallons last year from the Magothy aquifer. Demand has surged in the past 15 years as 100-acre estates were carved into two- and four-acre well-watered home sites. Adding to the pressure on water use has been college campuses expanding within the village.

Old Westbury officials want to add three new water wells to the system, which would cost village taxpayers $15 million.

Water rates were increased in 2014 for the highest users, part of a graduated fee scale, Mayor Fred Carillo said in an interview Monday.

Given the added usage in 2014, officials want to rule out any mistakes and are asking residents to check their bills and water meters to make sure they had not been overcharged.

"Bills are higher; people use more water," Carillo said. "The most of the water that's used is irrigation." The average water bill for homeowners in the village is $996 a year, Carillo said.

Carillo said he will urge residents to purchase rain sensors for their sprinkler systems, which are programmed to detect rainfall and can automatically shut off irrigation.

The warning from the village comes as New York Institute of Technology is proposing to add 700 new dorms to its campus, over roughly 23 acres. The additions to the college, which also include a new dining hall and office space for executives, could add demand for 16 million more gallons of water, according to a 2013 draft environmental impact statement written by VHB, a Hauppauge engineering firm.

Village residents have until Nov. 30 to comment on the plan.

Carillo said NYIT would pay $900,000 in water fees to help defray the costs of the added use.

The makeup of the Old Westbury Village Board has changed since the last hearing in February 2014. Three new trustees were elected to the board this year, unseating incumbents. Cory Baker, a trustee elected in June, said officials are meeting with D&B Engineers and Architects, P.C. of Woodbury to study the issue of water supply. The village already had received a report from the Melville engineering firm H2M.

"You have an infrastructure which is now aging," Baker said. "It is absolutely something we take very seriously, and will continue to evaluate."

By Scott Eidler

scott.eidler@newsday.com@ScottEidler

Scott Eidler is a deputy editor for the towns department at Newsday. Scott has worked at Newsday since 2012 and previously covered municipal government and education.