Watson considers moratorium on outdoor wood furnaces

WATSON — The Town Council on Friday will consider a six-month moratorium on outdoor wood-burning furnaces.

However, council members likely will rescind the proposed moratorium as soon as some regulations for the furnaces are put into the town's zoning law.

"We want to get the new law in place so people can get them in by this winter," Supervisor Virgil E. Taylor said.

The Town Council will hold a public hearing on the proposed moratorium at 7 p.m. Friday at the town hall, 6971 Number Four Road.

"It isn't that we want to ban them," Mr. Taylor said. "We just want to get some kind of control to make everyone happy."

Much of this eastern Lewis County town is sparsely populated, with more than half of the acreage inside the Adirondack Park.

However, the town has received complaints from some residents who have close neighbors with outdoor wood furnaces, Mr. Taylor said. Most of the complaints center on smoke and odors from the furnaces, particularly in cases when garbage is burned, he said.

Mr. Taylor said he and board members already have reviewed outdoor wood furnace ordinances from several other towns.

"We've done a lot of research on it already," he said.

Such laws generally include a minimum stack height — usually 15 feet — to minimize ground-level smoke, some restrictions on items that may be burned and a limit on when they may be fired up, if they're not used to heat water, Mr. Taylor said.

Owners of existing furnaces likely would not have to change their setup but would have to abide by use restrictions.

Residents can air their concerns and ideas about possible restrictions at Friday's public hearing, Mr. Taylor said.