Cobleskill Watershed Protection Project

COBLESKILL — Smith Brook on East Greenbush Hill Road in Cobleskill is going to get much-needed repairs to ensure the Village of Cobleskill’s drinking water is up to standards.  Spring Brook is the primary feeder for the Smith Reservoir which is one of the primary water sources for Cobleskill.  Smith Brook currently feeds it and has several issues that need to be addressed.  There is an undersized culvert that is causing the road to flood and the erosion from the brook is going directly into the reservoir.  There is a sediment issue when any flood occurs and this project will stabilize the situation.  Sediment can reduce the downstream flow and cause various items like phosphates and nitrates as well as algae bloom to form. These conditions can cause a threat to the overall health of the drinking water. 

This project has been approved by the District and the County Board because the benefit outweighs the cost of completing the improvements. Several agencies are involved in the corrective action including the Village of Cobleskill (which will act as the lead agency for the environmental review), the Town of Cobleskill, Schoharie County Soil & Water Conservation District, who administered the project, and several NYS Agencies.  Lamont Engineering is the Agency that was procured to design and administer this project.  They will also assist in the permit process. 

Schoharie County Soil and Water Conservation District identified the issues in 2022. Schoharie County obligated funds for the District in June of 2023. The goal is to complete this project in the summer of 2024.