Long Island Firm Takes Over West Branch Acres Water Company

CARMEL, NY — New York American Water announced Thursday that it has completed its acquisition of the West Branch Acres Water Company, which serves 74 customers in Carmel.

The purchase was approved by the New York State Public Service Commission on Feb. 16, 2017, and the acquisition was completed on Feb. 28, 2017. Financial terms of the sale were not disclosed.

The West Branch Acres Water Company served 290 people in 2012, according to the New York Times.

West Branch Acres incurred a lot of unexpected expenses in 2015 when two well pumps burned out and the company had to replace them, the starters and controls, one water line and isolation valve — and buying four 6,000-gallon truckloads of potable water for customers during the downtime.

The West Branch water system will be incorporated into New York American Water’s existing Hudson Valley operations, with about 1,600 water customers.

“We welcome these 74 new customers to our New York American Water customer family and we look forward to providing them with safe, clean, reliable and affordable water service,” said Carmen Tierno, President of Long Island-based New York American Water, in the announcement. “Our commitment to the residents of West Branch includes a plan to invest $107,000 during the first year for needed distribution system and electrical upgrades, while keeping operational costs down so that customers still pay about a penny a gallon for water service.”

Officials said customers will be receiving letters with information about the water system transition. Customers’ meters will be read on or around March 1 and they will receive a bill from and payable to West Branch for this final bill. The meter will be read again on or around April 1 and New York American Water will send its first bill for service shortly thereafter, and monthly going forward.

Customers may contact New York American Water with any questions about service or billing/payment issues at 877-426-6999. After receiving the first bill, customers can set up their “My Account” webpage on the New York American Water website, where they can view and pay their bill, track water use, sign up for paperless billing and more. Information about the company and its billing and payment options is available at www.newyorkamwater.com.

New York American Water, a subsidiary of American Water, is the largest investor-owned water company in New York, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 350,000 people. With a history dating back to 1886, American Water (NYSE: AWK) is the largest and most geographically diverse publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company. The company employs 6,700 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to an estimated 15 million people in 47 states and Ontario, Canada.

The Town of Carmel itself administers 13 water districts as follows:

1. Carmel Water District (CWD) #1 - Hamlet of Mahopac
2. CWD #2 - Hamlet of Carmel
3. CWD #3 - Lake Secor
4. CWD #4 - Lake Baldwin
5. CWD #5 - Maple Terrace
6. CWD #6 - Shell Valley, Tomahawk Creek
7. CWD #7 - Ivy Hills
8. CWD #8 - Mahopac Ridge
9. CWD #9 - Mahopac Hills – Simone
10. CWD #10 - Lakeview Park
11. CWD #12 - Farmview
12. CWD #13 - Rolling Greens
13. CWD #14 - Red Mills