People in Endicott are concerned about security, safety and street conditions. But the main complaint is brown water.
According to a study by Hunt Engineering, the water from the Rainey well has a lot of black manganese iron in it. Chlorine must be added to all public water. When combined with the black manganese iron, the water turns brown. Water from the Rainey well is pumped to a number of water tanks. The black manganese iron settles in each water tank. When there is a water main break, or a fire hydrant is opened, the water is stirred up causing sediment brown water in water tanks.
Pipes in the village are old. Replacing pipes as we repave streets is cost effective. In 2022 the village trustees voted to pay existing bills, but turned down a motion to raise the water bills by another $10 a year to start to repair this water problem.
In 2020, the governor of New York put limits on the amount of 1.4 dioxane allowed in public drinking water. The village water supply has an allowable amount, lower than the 1.4 dioxane, from a vacuum cleaner, dry cleaner, and Endicott-Johnson factory in that area. The governor warned that this limit could be lowered in the future. The village would need a filter system to alleviate this 1.4 dioxane. We can also filter out the black manganese iron at this same time. This is our best chance to combat this brown water situation.
In 2020 the village contacted Hunt Engineering to find a filter system. The cost has now risen to $25 million. The longer we wait, the more costs rise.
The state claims they have a large amount of infrastructure money. As the former mayor, I approached Rep. Molinaro and Sen. Schumer to help with this cost, but neither responded. NY Sen. Webb, Assemblywoman Lupardo, and Hunt Engineering did secure some grant money, but we need more. The village appears to have their focus on Washington Avenue and northside upgrades.
In July of 2020, the village wastewater supervisor and I participated with IBM, the health department and the DEC, with a split sampling of the IBM contamination – to verify how much is cleaned up. The health department representative said the IBM spill did not reach our aqua fur. He did comment on the air contamination caused by IBM. It is easy to contain chemicals from entering the air with filters like the ones supplied by IBM. According to the fire department, most contamination in the air (PFAS) is caused by products we use every day, like furniture, whenever there is a house fire.
If the Rainey Well is shut down, 46,000 water customers could be without water. Water from Johnson City and Vestal can be purchased. This is expensive, and not a permanent solution. The second well we are drilling will help some, but much of Endicott will be without water.
We need this filter more than upgrades to the northside or golf course.
Linda Jackson is the former mayor of Endicott.
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This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Endicott needs to prioritize fixing the brown water | Opinion
Reporting by Linda Jackson, Guest Columnist / Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Linda Jackson, Guest Columnist | USA TODAY Network
