William J. Kemble is reporting for the Daily Freeman the Saugerties Village Board has approved the bonding of $571,000 to cover the cost of dredging the Blue Mountain Reservoir. The bonding, approved November 15, will have a five-year payback period. Village Water Superintendent Mike Hopf said the dredging is expected to remove approximately 18,000 cubic yards of silt and add 4 to 6 feet of depth to the reservoir. The project is scheduled to begin before the summer of 2022 and should be completed by October. Hopf said the work will go out to bid in the next month or two. The reservoir draws its water from the Plattekill Creek and has a capacity of 12 million gallons. It has not been dredged since 2008. Hopf said, “silt and debris [are] starting to affect the intake area,” and that during the last heavy storm, "...the intake became impacted with leaves and debris," which can have an impact on the quality of the water. The village of Saugerties water system has 4,200 connections in the village and 5,500 in the town. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.