The Town of Plattsburgh Cumberland Head Water District encompasses the Cumberland Head peninsula in Lake Champlain. The homes in the area used unsafe lake water or well water, which degraded over time and became unusable as a source of drinking water. The district contains over 70,000 feet of water main and services approximately 450 parcels spread out over a large area.

The district faced many challenges before the first shovel hit the ground. Both bedrock in the area and the close proximity of many of the lake front homes to the proposed water main location increased the cost of the district.

Laberge Group assisted in the formation of the district and obtaining the funds for the $5,000,000 project. The design employed by Laberge Group also assisted in reducing costs. Use of a rock trencher not only reduced the cost of rock removal, but also allowed the excavated rock to be reused as backfill thus eliminating the need to purchase expensive fill material for the trenches. It also eliminated the need to blast open the trenches thereby reducing the potential for damage to the surrounding homes.

The district is unique in that it was designed to operate on different pressures depending on the time of day to prevent stagnation in the existing water storage tank and to maintain fire fighting capacity for the elementary school during school hours. This is accomplished through a series of pressure reducing valves and liner control of levels in the pre-existing tanks.

The Cumberland Head Water District has been an enormous success for the Town and residents and businesses located within its boundaries.

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