About Us


Who We Are & What We Do

 

The Big Flats Water System has been in existence since the 1970’s. Parts of the system predate that because they were privately owned before being taken over by the Town.

The Big Flats Water Department is a part of the Town’s Department of Public Works (DPW). We maintain the Town’s municipal water supply and distribution system.  We have two water districts, Water District 4 and Water District 5. Water District 4 is also known as Harris Hill Manor.  Water District 4 is a small, self-sufficient system that serves 76 homes and one business in the Manor. Realistically there is no availability for expansion.  In the larger Water District 5, which encompasses the rest of our system, we serve a population of close to 9,000. This takes the various shopping centers and hotels into consideration. Water District 5 extends from Bottcher’s Landing on the West to the Town line on the east, and from Brookwood Hills in the North to Carpenter Road in the South. These reference points represent the metes and bounds of Water District 5, however water is not available to every property within the district. If you are unsure that water is available, please call the office. Most properties that have access to a watermain are hooked up to municipal water. There are a few exceptions that are still serviced by private wells but those are grandfathered in and should change if and when the property is sold.

We are considered an under 10,000 served system by the New York State Department of Health. That is important because population dictates the sampling rules with which we must comply. Part 5 of the NYSDOH Sanitary Code, Drinking Water Supplies dictates our sampling program.

The current Water Department Staff includes a Supervisor, an Operator-In-Charge, an Operator II, and Secretary I.  The Supervisor and Operators work Monday – Friday 6am - 2:30pm. The secretary is in the office Monday – Friday 8am-4pm.  The Water Department is on call 24/7. If you have an emergency, please call 9-1-1 and we will be contacted.
Please note, if we are called out after-hours there is a Call Out Fee of $400 that covers the overtime incurred. Time and materials may also be charged depending on the circumstances.

**During the spring/summer the Supervisor and Operators work a 4-day work week, M-TH from 6am - 430pm**