Herkimer Water Main Repair Work to Start, Amidst Generous Gesture

Tri Valley Dry Cleaners, in Herkimer, is opening their hearts, and their washing machines, to people without water in the village right now, due to recent water main problems.

“Well, we have seven families that don’t have water right now, so they’re welcome. Welcome to come down,” says Max Dhaniram, of Tri-Valley Dry Cleaners, in Herkimer.

Free laundry and Max, who’s also a village trustee, is offering those families use of the shower, in his home.

“There are people in need right now. They have no water. Water is the most important thing for life. We need to help these people until we get back online. It’s that simple,’ said Max.

As a village official, Max is not only offering water, but reassurance.

“The reason why we’re asking people to conserve is because we have two pumps working, two artesian wells, we overrun those pumps and they get hot and something goes wrong, then we have a bigger problem…..the water is there. We have the water,” said Max. “People don’t have to worry about water. We just have to conserve it so that we don’t destroy one of our pumps.”

A landslide broke a major main off Rt. 28, over the weekend. It’s about a quarter mile walk into the woods, so it’s hard to get personnel and equipment to it, but village officials say they’re in the final stages of a temporary solution to reattach the main and restore services to the northern line, and they plan to begin the repair work, Thursday. In the meantime, a state of emergency and water conservation advisory.