The Randall Town Board, in a split vote, rejected a request from the Benedict/Tombeau Lake Management District for a 60-day moratorium on storm water discharge from the Nippersink Bowl.
The district sought the moratorium to give a private contractor it hired time to test water in the bowl for possible adverse qualities that could be passed into the lakes through the pumping.
Town Chairman Bob Stoll said he was concerned about the town’s liability if it agreed not to pump and then a rain event flooded the bowl area and caused damage to property.
But residents of the lakes said any such damage would be easier to repair than harm done to the lakes themselves.
The town completed the project last year that can pump water from the Nippersink Bowl into the lakes to avoid damage to an adjacent road and flooding of properties.
Lake residents that have appeared at several meetings in recent months to say they did not know of plans to pump the bowl water into the lake. They are concerned that such pumping could drastically alter the quality of Lakes Benedict and Tombeau for the worse.
The district has already contracted for testing of the bowl for adverse plant life or other conditions.
Stoll said he did not object to the testing, but felt the pumping moratorium was irresponsible.
Town officials point out that the project was approved by the state Department of Natural Resources as safe for the lakes.
A motion to not impose the requested moratorium was approved by a 3 to 2 vote, with Supervisors Rose Nolan and Bob Gehring voting against.