Click here for more information on the Town of Leicester West Town (Pine Taverns) Water District.

In February 2022, the Livingston County Board of Supervisors authorized the Authority to develop a water supply project to benefit communities impacted by the Akzo Nobel salt mine collapse but also to serve and support the public drinking water needs of neighboring municipalities.  The Akzo Nobel salt mine collapse occurred on March 12, 1994, when the ceiling of a 500 by 500-foot underground chamber gave way. As a result of that collapse, methane and hydrogen sulfide gases escaped and ground water flowed into the collapsed area from an aquifer several hundred feet above. Within a quarter mile of the collapse, the lower confined aquifer that crossed the mine experienced a 350-foot water-level decline, with additional aquifer decline experienced further away as well.

The primarily impacted municipalities of the collapse are the Towns of Leicester and York and secondarily, the Towns of Geneseo, Mt. Morris and Avon (Impacted Communities).

Throughout 2022, the Authority and its engineering consultants, worked to develop a proposed regional water supply project.  In September 2022, Authority issued an Engineering Report providing an overview and recommendation for the regional water project. This report focused on options to provide increased potable water supply to the Impacted Communities as well as achieving regional water goals.  The report detailed various aspects of potable supply, transmission, distribution and storage necessary to achieve the goal of increased water capacity throughout Livingston County.  The Authority examined multiple alternatives in an effort to provide water to as many residents as possible, while considering several variables including cost, customer gain, water rates, potential development, energy efficiency, and the potential for intermunicipal cooperation.  As originally charged by the County, the primary goal of the project is to provide enhanced public drinking water infrastructure and supply for the Impacted Communities, as well as supporting regional interests of providing greater access to affordable, safe drinking water for all participating municipalities.

In December 2022 the Authority was awarded $5,000,000 through the NYS Environmental Facilities Cooperation Water Infrastructure Investment Act (the “WIIA”) program for the proposed project.

Throughout 2023 and 2024, the Authority worked with its municipal partners to finalize the project scope, which included improved pump stations, the installation of approximately 25 miles of new transmission and distribution piping, a new water storage tank in the Town of Leicester and total trihalomethanes (TTHM) removal systems in the Leicester water tank.  Additionally, the project provided for improved interconnections between the existing Authority water distribution facilities and multiple partnering agencies, including the NYS Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP), for Letchworth State Park, the Livingston County Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, and the Livingston County Murray Hill Campus.  Amendment #1 to the original Engineering Report was issued March 2024, further refining the scope of the project.

In September 2024, LCWSA was awarded a $1,000,000 grant for the project from the Local Government Efficiency (LGE) grant program, through the New York State Department of State.

In November 2024, LCWSA was awarded a $14,320,000 grant for the project from the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation Intermunicipal (IMG) grant program, along with interest free loans through New York State Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund.

In July 2025, the LCWSA was awarded a $1,000,000 grant for the project from the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) grant program, a Federal-State partnership for economic and community development in northern Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York.

 The most recent updates to the project, include revised transmission main routes that provide public water to households in Leicester that have been negatively impacted by the salt mine collapse and new redundant water source interconnections to partnering municipalities, including the ability to serve all of the Impacted Communities (Towns of Avon, Geneseo, Mt. Morris, Leicester and York) with a new independent water source.  The project will have a significant positive impact for a great number of people that visit, live and work in Livingston County.

Water supply and intermunicipal agreements are currently in the process of being approved and it is anticipated that the LCWSA Regional Water Supply Project will begin design later in 2025.

Phase 1 was completed in 2022.  This phase was $3,200,000 and included the installation of approximately 18,000 linear feet of water main to connect the existing Consolidated Water District in the Town of Groveland to the existing ARS water system and water storage tank.  The Groveland Station interconnection included the installation of approximately 2,000 linear feet of water main connecting the existing Groveland Station water main and the existing water main in the Town of Groveland.  In addition, the Authority replaced over 2,100 water meters throughout the entire system.

Phases 2 was completed in 2023.  This phase was $1,070,000 and included the replacement of water service laterals on Stone Hill Rd., installing a redundant water line connection under the Conesus Creek and various other water distribution improvements throughout the Consolidated Water District.

Phase 3 was completed in spring 2024.  This phase was $500,000 and included upgrades to six disinfection systems throughout the Consolidated Water District and a TTHM tank removal system in the Airport water storage tank.

Phase 4 of the Countywide Water Improvement project includes the construction of a new 2-million-gallon water storage tank and SCADA upgrades at various locations throughout the water distribution system.  The new Water Storage Tank is expected to be on-line by the end of 2026.

Total project cost of all construction phases, including engineering, is $9,250,000.  The Authority has received $3,000,000 in grant funds provided by the NYSEFC WIIA program and a 30-year low interest loan to complete the project.

This project includes the design and upgrades to 50 assets in the Authority’s supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system.  This will address deficiencies in the current system including, the development of a modern and reliable communications infrastructure plan across all remote system assets and the collaborative development of a design standard for communication systems, automation equipment, control elements, and monitoring devices.

This project is expected to be completed by summer 2026 and is estimated to cost $1.5M.  Funding for this project is part of the Countywide Water System Improvements and Conesus Lake Pump Station Improvements projects.

Participating communities are indicated in blue along with the entire Livingston County Water and Sewer Authority Water System.