Cortland County is fortunate to have plenty of clean water. It gets about 40 inches of rain and about 83 inches of snow every year, and that’s a lot.
As snow melts in the spring it replenishes groundwater, including the water-rich aquifer that supplies drinking water for many of the surrounding municipalities as well as many private wells.
It’s a good thing we have an abundance of clean water. An average New Yorker uses about 50 gallons of water every day. Industries and agriculture use even more. That’s why it’s so important to do everything we can to keep our water clean, for ourselves, the industries we need, and for fish and wildlife that rely on clean water.
To celebrate our good fortune in having plentiful clean water, the Cortland County Soil and Water Conservation District and other Cortland agencies will host the 32nd Annual Water Festival from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Cortland County Water Works on Broadway in Cortland.
Activities will include games like duck races and the Water Wizard computer game. They’ll introduce people to topics including aquatic invasive species, the water cycle, water pollution and the importance of wetlands. There will also be horse-drawn tours of the Water Works, the annual taste test, live animals, balloons, face painting and more.
The Smashburger food truck will be on site, and Ronny the Raindrop will be there to shake hands with the kids.
It’s appropriate that the Water Festival is held at the Cortland Water Works because that’s where our water comes from — the city’s public water supply wells are there. Since the late 1800s, Cortland’s water supply has come from this property, begun by a private company. The initial plan made use of the existing spring and included a pump house that could pump 1,200 gallons per minute, piping to a reservoir and water mains running from the reservoir to nearby streets and fire hydrants.
The Water Works is now run by the city, with three main wells that are 50 to 77 feet deep. The first well was installed in 1949 and the most recent in 1981. Each well can pump between 3,000 and 4,000 gallons of water per minute. An average of 2 to 2.4 million gallons of water per day are delivered to city residents depending on whether college is in session. The pumps can deliver at least twice that amount as needed to keep up with future population growth.
The Water Works property is surrounded by fencing to protect the integrity of the wells. Most visitors to the Water Works come to see the deer and other wildlife within the fencing. This year, the Cortland County Soil and Water Conservation District is also installing a riparian wooded buffer along Otter Creek to protect water quality.
Come on out to the Cortland Waterworks on Saturday to learn about our water and have some fun.
Kathy McGrath is a water quality specialist with the Cortland County Soil and Water Conservation District.
