South Blooming Grove issued DOH violations amid water crisis and construction boom
South Blooming Grove officials say they’re working with the health department officials to fix the problems.
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A rapidly growing village in Orange County is now facing the possibility of hefty fines after News 12 has learned county officials found the community doesn’t have enough water during a major construction boom.
According to a newly obtained Orange County Department of Health violation notice from 2023, South Blooming Grove only has enough water for just about half of its residents, in violation of a requirement that municipalities meet their daily maximum demand.
The county also cited “significant concerns” with the amount of development projects in the village during the water crisis.
News 12 saw seven construction sites in one neighborhood alone while driving around on Monday,
“What else can people do? There’s nothing to stop it,” says Kerry Dombroski.
The public echoed county concerns about the rapid growth during a virtual hearing this month on the Clovewood development project, which seeks to build 600 homes in the village.
The proposed project would increase the population from 3,000 to 30,000,” said one speaker.
South Blooming Grove was cited by the county for equipment failures and for an offline well.
News 12 has reported on homeowner complaints about no water or dirty water since 2016 and the start of the construction boom.
“It comes out brown all the time,” says Christopher Munoz. “We have filtered water in the house because we don’t want to drink the tap water.”
The village had roughly 3,900 residents in 2022. The Department of Health said in the violation notice that new population numbers are also needed.
South Blooming Grove officials say they’re working with the health department officials to fix the problems.
The village has until June to meet the water demand or else face fines of up to $2,000 a day for each violation, according to Orange County.
