— Photo from Russell Pokorny
A bird’s eye view: The Altamont reservoir — the lower part in the foreground is filled with water; the upper part in the background, appears nearly dry on July 22 — hasn’t been used in nearly 12 years. For the past three to four years, the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation has recommended that the village keep the reservoir levels low to take some of the pressure off the dams in case of a big storm. The most recent storm put about six feet of water back into the reservoir, said Jeff Moller, Altamont’s Superintendent of Public Works.