Relates to the exchange of certain lands between the town of Long Lake and the state of New York

The purpose of this bill is to implement the land exchange between the Town of Long Lake and the State of New York authorized by a 2007 Constitutional Amendment.

Summary of Provisions:

Section 1 of this bill sets forth the legislative findings that the legislature approves of the land exchange authorized by the bill and that the provisions and requirements of the 2007 Constitutional Amendment, authorizing the Raquette Lake water supply land exchange, have been satisfied.

Section 2 of this bill directs the Commissioner of General Services, after certification by the Commissioner of Environmental Conservation, to issue letters patent to the Town of Long Lake for the lands described in section 5 of the bill and to convey such lands without reservation of any minerals.

Section 3 of this bill requires that the title and deed of the land to be conveyed to the State be approved by the Attorney General.

Section 4 of this bill describes the approximate 12.2 acres of land to be conveyed to the State from the Town of Long Lake.

Section 5 of this bill describes the approximate one acre of land to be conveyed to the Town of Long Lake from the State.

Section 6 of this bill provides that the bill takes effect immediately.

Existing Law:

Section 1 of Article XIV of the State Constitution preserves Forest Preserve as forever wild State lands and prohibits their lease, sale, exchange or taking. A Constitutional Amendment was ratified by the voters at the general election in 2007 which authorized the State of New York to convey one acre of land to the Town of Long Lake for purposes of establishing a drinking water well on the condition that in return the State receive at least twelve acres of land in Hamilton County for inclusion in the Forest Preserve.

Prior Legislative History:

This is a new bill.

Statement in Support:

In 2007, a Constitutional Amendment was adopted to allow the Town of Long Lake to receive one acre of land from the Forest Preserve for the siting of a drinking water well. The well was necessary to comply with

new federal Safe Drinking Water Act regulations, which require public water suppliers to provide adequate filtration and disinfection of water that is taken from surface sources, or to develop an acceptable alternative source. As a result of those rules, the water supply system in the hamlet of Raquette Lake, which draws from a surface reservoir, could no longer be used to supply drinking water to that locality.

The prevalence of State Forest Preserve lands surrounding this community, coupled with the sanitary and hydrogeological requirements of public water supply wells, meant that the only viable alternative for siting a drinking water supply well for the hamlet of Raquette Lake was on Forest Preserve land. This legislation would authorize the legal transfer of one acre of Forest Preserve land to the Town of Long Lake for the purpose of siting a drinking water well to serve as the municipal drinking water supply for the hamlet of Raquette Lake. This bill also authorizes the conveyance of 12.2 acres to the State for incorporation into the Forest Preserve. The lands to be conveyed to the State are located adjacent to other Forest Preserve lands and have been appraised at a value greater than the one acre that will be conveyed to the Town.

Budget implications:

None.

Local impact:

This bill requires the Town of Long Lake to provide at least 12 acres of land to the State; the land was donated by a Town Board member; therefore this will have little fiscal impact on the Town and ensure it owns the land which is the location of its drinking water wells.

Effective Date:

This act shall take effect immediately.