Sumner Brook runs along the eastern edge of the hamlet of Bloomingdale, which sits in the town of St. Armand in northern Essex County. In the 1880s, residents would cross the brook to what was called Crystal Springs and fill buckets with drinking water. Today, wells at this site pump groundwater across the brook to a treatment and distribution system that serves some 950 residents with safe drinking water. Even with more than 115 years of the hamlet using the water source, there was a hitch.

Hotelier Paul Smith bought the land in 1910, promising public access to water with a handshake deal. This arrangement continued when the land was bequeathed to Paul Smith’s College. The town’s access to the 41-acre parcel was formalized only in 1981 with a 50-year lease. When Town of St. Armand Supervisor Davina Thurston was elected in 2019, she sought a lasting solution. “I didn’t want to kick the can down the road again,” she said.

In 2022, Thurston tapped town, county, and state representatives as well as the Adirondack Land Trust’s land protection manager to form a community advisory group to work with New York State’s Drinking Water Source Protection Program on a plan. The goal was to secure the town’s drinking water source and the land where surface water seeps into the aquifer. Each advisor brought different skills. Our land protection manager at the time, Megan Stevenson, shared land conservation expertise, offered strategic guidance, and coordinated meetings between the college and the town. Two years later, the group had mapped a clear path for the town to own their wellfield and prevent contamination.

The town secured a $300,000 grant in 2024 from the state’s Water Quality Improvement Program (WQIP) to buy the land. WQIP is partly funded by New York’s Environmental Protection Fund, a vital source of funds for environmental protection and community projects. The college agreed to the sale in 2025, and the parties are working to complete the transaction. This project highlights one way the Adirondack Land Trust works alongside partners to protect drinking water and support community vitality.

Advocating for Environmental Funding That Benefits All New Yorkers 

Environmental funding protects the water we drink, the air we breathe, open space for outdoor recreation, farmland for growing food, and much more. This is the time of year when New York’s governor, assembly, and senate develop their budget proposals for the coming year. The Adirondack Land Trust recently joined with colleagues from across the state to meet with elected officials in Albany to advocate for the following:

  • $425 million for the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF)
  • $700 million for the Clean Water Infrastructure Act
  • $430 million for New York State Parks and Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) capital projects

The story above about protecting the Town of St. Armand’s drinking water source is an example of how New York State’s environmental funding touches down in the Adirondacks. Click here to read another story that illustrates how environmental funding helps the Adirondack Land Trust deliver conservation benefits to communities.