Responsibilities of the Department

The Department of Public Works (DPW) services customers throughout the Town of Bethlehem, as well as parts of the Town of New Scotland. DPW is broken down into five divisions:

• Administrative Division - The Administrative Division is responsible for all water and sewer billing, issuing various water and sewer permits, processing backflow applications, engineering billing, scheduling meter change appointments and purchase order processing for the Department of Public Works.
• Engineering Division - The Engineering Division is responsible for review of all planning projects, design, and construction of town infrastructure projects, and support of other town departments with necessary engineering expertise.
• Field Operations Division - The Field Operations Division maintains 230 miles of water system pipeline, 170 miles of sewer collection pipeline, 37 sewer lift stations and 8 water storage tanks.  This division is also responsible for all residential water meter installations, repairs and water meter reading as well as completion of all water and sanitary sewer location requests.
• Water Treatment Division - The Water Treatment Division maintains and operates the Vly Creek Reservoir, two water purification plants, and two water interconnections with the City of Albany.
• Wastewater Treatment (Sewer) Division - The Wastewater Treatment Division maintains and operates the town’s two wastewater treatment plants.

The Department of Public Works employs 54 people.

Know Before You Dig

Planning a home improvement job? Planting a tree? Installing a fence or deck? Wait! Here's what you need to know first.

Whether you are planning to do it yourself or hire a professional, smart digging means calling 811 before each job. Homeowners often make risky assumptions about whether or not they should get their utility lines marked, but every digging job requires a call – even small projects like planting trees and shrubs. Visit the Call 811 website for more information.