ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The City of Rochester held a public hearing Tuesday night to listen to the thoughts and concerns of citizens who use Highland Park, as the Highland Reservoir is due for an upgrade to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency’s new regulation, known as LT2.

“Highland Park and Highland Reservoir are a cherished part of this community, and it’s very important for us to get feedback from the community and let folks know exactly what we’re doing and how the process is going to work,” said David Rowley, the Manager of Water Production for the City of Rochester.

Rowley shared some of the ideas they’ve had to protect the reservoir.

“Solutions range from providing extra treatment and keeping the reservoir uncovered, to maybe building a tank inside the reservoir wall and then providing park space on top of it,” Rowley said. “Potentially something called a floating cover with a water feature adjacent to it, so that that could be enjoyed by park visitors. Or possibly not using Highland as a water supply feature anymore, rather just an aesthetic feature.”

Residents like Connie Izzo say despite the potential changes, it will be worth it to have clean water.

“They’re going to have to come up with something, and it’s going to change the looks of the park. And I think that no one’s going to be happy about that. But in the end, the most important thing is that the city has a clean, reliable water source,” Izzo said. “And, we have to; we don’t have any choice but to comply with federal and local regulations to ensure that.”

The planning is expected to wrap up by winter of next year. The project’s final deadline is November 2035.

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