As a kid I used to like to go the Basic Reservoir to go fishing with my grandfather. This is the backup city reservoir that is supposed to either supply the city with water in case of an emergency or replenish the main reservoir should an extended dry period reduce the supply in the main Alcove Reservoir. All together the Alcove Reservoir supplies water top 150,000 people and is a major profit maker for the city that continues to sell water to more and more distant communities.

Allowing public access to the Basic Reservoir was intended to give back something to the community that it took from it. In years past, one could go there and sit down by the reservoir with a nice cool drink and a book for hours, hike and bike around some of the lands, observe the many Great Blue Herons and Bald Eagles that came there, or even go fishing. I never caught anything too worthwhile there but sunnies, but apparently the city did stock that reservoir and people caught some good fish there.

Sometime around the turn of the millennium, the city started charging local residents for the privilege of fishing there. The cost of the permit was not excessive, but was somewhat burdensome when there were plenty of other streams and ponds that were free. Some of these other ponds and streams were even stocked by the Department of Environmental Conservation such as the Ten Mile Creek in Renselearville. Yet, even without a permit we could still go up and hike, take pictures, or relax by the reservoir.

Then there was the tragedy of September 11th down in New York City and Washington DC. It was a horrible thing what 20 Islamic radicals did to our country, based on a misguided religious passion. Yet, it was equally bad to us locals who enjoyed the reservoir but were quickly banned from it in the paranoia of a post-9/11 world. Many people from the mayor on up believed that terrorists were all over and would do nearly anything to undermine American society. While no terrorist ever hit a water supply, fear shut off all public access to this once great resource for the people of Westerlo that gave up much taxable farmland in exchange for a distant city having adequate water resources.

The paranoia over terrorism has gone to great extremes. We are talking about a back up reservoir, but it seems that the city feels it's essential to have people guarding it and preventing anybody from using it for any purpose. No terrorist has ever threatened a water supply, nor has their been any real way to poison a water supply not treatable by dilution or the cholerination plant, still the city felt that they couldn't take the risk of anybody using the reservoir. Moreover, for several months last summer do to leaking septic systems and cows grazing and wading upstream in the Basic Creek, the reservoir could not be used for public drinking water as per the county health department due to tests showing a high percentage of chloroform bacteria.

We have to wonder why the city continues to ban us local people from accessing one the great resources in our area, the Basic Reservoir. Terrorism seems like a remote possibility when leaking septic systems and manure is poisoning our water. It seems the city simply doesn't want to be bothered by maintaining infrastructure for users of an area that don't directly pay city taxes or elect the mayor. Yet, that ignores all that we have had to sacrifice for the city putting their backup reservoir in our town.