Examinations of the Village of Waterville reservoir on Upper White Street show the dam did not breach during the Halloween night rain that caused widespread flooding.
At last week’s Waterville Village Board meeting Mayor Gene Ostrander and DPW Superintendent Jamie Bechy said the reservoir was looked at by both an engineer and the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Both said water overflowed from the 1888-built reservoir, but the dam did not breach.
That assessment was challenged by Mike Schaaf, who lives on the creek side of Route 315. Schaaf said items in his garage were damaged, but he was speaking up for three neighbors who cannot return to their homes because of structural damage caused when the creek reached the foundations of their houses.
Village officials explained to Schaaf how to file a Freedom Of Information request to obtain the reports from the examinations. Schaaf said he thought the reservoir should be decommissioned to eliminate it as a death trap.
Ostrander said that is an option being looked at, although the reservoir serves as the…