Hudson River Drinking Water Intermunicipal Council (Hudson 7) Fact Sheet in 2024

What is the Hudson River Drinking Water Intermunicipal Council (Hudson 7) ?
The Hudson 7 is a collaboration of the mid-Hudson municipalities and counties that draw drinking water from the Hudson River Estuary for more than 100,000 people in the Town of Esopus, Town of Hyde Park, Town of Lloyd, Town and City of Poughkeepsie, Town and Village of Rhinebeck located in Dutchess and Ulster Counties. These communities are served by five drinking water treatment plants that utilize Hudson River water, operated by the City and Town of Poughkeepsie, Village of Rhinebeck (for the Village and Town of Rhinebeck), Town of Esopus, Town of Lloyd and Dutchess County Water and Wastewater Authority (for Hyde Park).

What makes the Hudson 7 important and unique?
The Hudson 7 is the first intermunicipal council of its kind in the history of the Hudson River.  It provides attention and advocacy to ensure that water protection is a primary goal, amid competing uses of the Hudson River.
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How did the Hudson 7 come about?
The concept was the brainchild of the Village of Rhinebeck Mayor Gary Bassett and Riverkeeper’s Dan Shapley. At a meeting on the banks of the Rondout Creek, they decided to reach out to each of the other communities that rely on the Hudson River as a drinking water source, and develop a platform that would encourage a collaboration between the five drinking water treatment plants.

What are the source waters for the Hudson 7?
The source waters for the Hudson 7 is the stretch of the Hudson River roughly between the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge and the Mid-Hudson Bridge; however, the land area that influences water there is vast. The Hudson River watershed is 13,400 square miles, encompassing much of southeastern New York State, and smaller portions of Vermont, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Connecticut.  Much of this watershed is “upstream” of the intakes of the Hudson River intakes, and because the river is tidal, water flows both ways.  Based on NYS Department of Health Source Water Assessments developed as a requirement of the Safe Drinking Water Act in the early 2000s, Dutchess County created this map to show the portion of the river and its watershed that was thought most important water for Hudson 7 communities. In 2021, the Hudson 7 communities were selected to participate in the Drinking Water Source Protection Program (DWSP2), a locally led, state-supported program that empowers municipalities to take action to improve and protect their public water sources and surrounding environment. The program offers free technical assistance to develop and implement community-specific drinking water source protection plans. The effort is focused in part on defining different geographic areas that are relevant to different types of potential contamination concerns. We expect that through the focus of the Hudson 7 on source water protection, we will continually refine understanding of the complexities related to potential contamination sources at different distances from our intakes.

When did the first Hudson 7 organizational meeting take place?
The first organizational meeting of the Hudson 7 took place on July 10, 2017 with Mayor Gary Bassett (Village of Rhinebeck), Randy Alstadt, (City of Poughkeepsie), Supervisor Elizabeth Spinzia (Town of Rhinebeck), Supervisor Diane McCord (Town of Esopus), Supervisor-elect Shannon Harris (Town of Esopus), Water Superintendent Don Kiernan (Town of Esopus), Board member Bill Carlos (Town of Poughkeepsie), Supervisor Jay Baisley (Town of Poughkeepsie), Neil Curri (Town of Lloyd ECC), Board member and Deputy Supervisor Emily Svenson (Town of Hyde Park), Dan Shapley and Rebecca Martin (Riverkeeper).  An informal collaboration began with Riverkeeper to produce a report using Riverkeeper’s “Drinking Source Water Protection Scorecard” to develop recommendations. That report, authored by the Center for Watershed Protection and commissioned by Riverkeeper with funding from the Park Foundation, was released in February, 2018. Forming an intermunicipal council was among the top recommendations of the report, with a focus for the long term protection of the Hudson River as a drinking water source. The NYS Drinking Water Source Protection Program, which didn’t then exist, is now guiding the creation of a source water protection plan for the Hudson 7,  building on the Scorecard report. 

When was the intermunicipal agreement for the Hudson 7 established? 
The Hudson 7 intermunicipal council representing the seven municipalities that draw drinking water from the Hudson River was officially formed on May 31, 2018 when all seven municipalities gathered to sign an intermunicipal agreement and bylaws with a ceremony at Marist College’s historic Cornell Boathouse on the banks of the river in Poughkeepsie. The Hudson 7 has met monthly since then.

What are the Hudson 7’s goals?
The  Hudson 7 has outlined its goals each year since 2020.  In the Hudson 7 Bylaws, the council’s function is to do the following:

• Securing and sharing the public and private grants available to improve water quality in the Hudson River Estuary and its watershed, including water infrastructure and watershed protection projects;  
• Enhancing intergovernmental communication and coordination, providing for opportunities for shared services and a more efficient and cost-effective coordinated approach to implementing current and future source water protection projects; 
• Creating a forum for coordinating agencies and organizations at the municipal, county, regional, state and federal levels; 
• Coordinating long-term watershed stewardship to maintain and improve water quality; and 
• Speaking with a unified voice advocating for common interests, and for sharing the experience and lessons learned with other communities. 

Who are the voting members of the Hudson 7?
The Hudson 7 voting members currently include one primary representative and one alternate member from the seven (7) municipalities and two (2) counties for a term of two years (Dutchess and Ulster County became voting members of the Hudson 7 in the summer of 2022, bringing the council voting members to nine). The primary representative is an elected official. The alternate representative may be an elected official, an employee or contractor of the municipality, a resident of the municipality, or another appropriate representative.  Both primary and alternative representatives are always invited to attend the monthly council meetings. When the primary representative is not available to meet in person, the alternative representative, if available, will vote on behalf of the municipality/county.   Please read the Hudson 7 Bylaws for more information.

Who are the non-voting members of the Hudson 7?
The council may include other non-municipal entities or individuals as non-voting members. Non-voting members also include pro bono technical advisors with various topics of expertise from agencies, entities or individuals that can assist in the implementation of source water protection actions. 

Where does the council meet for their monthly meetings? 
The Hudson 7 council’s monthly meeting is hybrid, held at the Poughkeepsie Water Treatment Facility (PWTF) located on the Marist College campus and on zoom.  The Hudson 7 has a YouTube channel where it streams its monthly meetings live for the public to view in real time. Recordings are also available at the YouTube channel.

What constitutes a quorum during the Hudson 7’s monthly meetings?
A quorum, consisting of a majority of the voting primary or alternate membership, is required for the council to vote on an action. With a total of nine (9) voting members, five (5) voting members must be in-person at the PWTF for the council to vote on any agenda items. 

How does the Hudson 7 make decisions?
At any meeting of the council, the general principles of parliamentary procedure, or Robert’s Rules of Order, are observed. The council is governed by its bylaws that were adopted in August of 2019 with amendments along the way.  Each municipality and county has one vote, which may be exercised during the council’s hybrid meetings, by the designated primary representative, or in their absence, by the designated alternate representative.  All actions taken by the council shall be by an affirmative vote of the majority of the total voting members.

How can I track the Hudson 7’s work history?
The Hudson 7 shares all of its agenda, minutes, key source materials and video from its monthly meetings located on its website under the meetings page tab.  Notable press is also available.   The Hudson 7 recently released a motions document that tracks its motions since it started to meet officially in 2018 to present. 

Does the Hudson 7 have committees? 
Yes. The council forms committees, to work in conjunction with the council, as necessary to carry out the functions and goals of the council. Responsibilities of each committee are determined by the council at the time each committee is formed. A committee may include voting members and non-voting members of the council and any other non-council member appointed to the committee by the council to fulfill the charge of the committee and to obtain public input and participation in ongoing activities. Currently, the council has several working committees that include Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE), Drinking Water Source Protection Program (DWSP2), Hudson River Anchorages, Water Treatment Plant Operator and Organizational Structure.  The Source Water Protection Coordinator is currently creating materials on all of the Hudson 7’s committee and campaign work to share with the council and the public. 

Does the Hudson 7 have any funding currently?
All seven municipalities and two counties have contributed to fund the council’s first Source Water Protection Coordinator in the summer of 2023 for at least three years.  The total amount contributed between nine entities is $75,000 per year.  The council hired Rebecca Martin as a part-time consultant, who will develop a work plan for the council to approve each year that she remains in the position. These documents are all public facing, and can be found on the Hudson 7’s about page on the council’s website.  Dutchess County also made a contribution of $19,999 to fund a lawyer specifically to help the Hudson 7 create a not-for-profit organization and to re-write its Bylaws to reflect its new organizational structure.  That work is ongoing.  Whatever remaining county funds designated for this task will sunset at the end of 2024.    

How can the public participate?
The Hudson 7 council meetings provide public comment at the beginning of its monthly meetings in person,  on zoom or in writing. Hudson 7 meetings are also live streamed on the council’s YouTube page. You can find this information on the Hudson 7’s website meeting page.