Lawrence owes water utility nearly $800,000

Lawrence village appears to be in some hot water over allegedly not paying Liberty Utilities, formerly NY American Water, nearly $800,000 for servicing more than 200 fire hydrants across the Five Towns community since 2019, according to records.   

A lawsuit filed earlier this month in state Supreme Court in Mineola claims that Lawrence has not paid its 16 quarterly bills for the water that is pumped to the hydrants since October 2019.

The total amount owed according to Liberty is $787,544.47 for the water, taxes and late fees.

“It is pending litigation and we don’t discuss pending litigation,” Lawrence Village Administrator Ron Goldman said.

Village officials did say that the municipality is paying $1,200 per hydrant, which is considered high among villages, and all other water bills are up to date.

"While we do not comment on pending legal matters, we can tell you that our top focus continues to be providing safe, high-quality, reliable water service to our customers," Liberty spokeswoman Pamela Bellings said.

In the suit that was filed, Liberty claims that Lawrence, “has failed and refused to make payment on any of the outstanding amounts billed in the statements.”