Not only is Mayville connected to a new well for its water system, the Chautauqua County village is also looking at hooking into a more traditional water source.
The village has had considerable trouble with the water system in the last few years, most recently with a chemical contamination problem that shut down the well last December and the drought this summer that pushed water levels down to where a water conservation order was issued.
Mayor Ken Shearer said residents stepped up to the challenge.
"Hey, we got a problem, here. And instead of using so much water, they quit washing the vehicles. They quit filling their swimming pools and watering their lawns," Shearer said. "It worked. Within a day, it started creeping back up there again. And they have been great throughout this. We're super fortunate to have residents who know what's going on and want to contribute to the well-being instead of complaining."
The contamination issue was resolved by installing a special filtration system for the contamination and connecting it to new pipes installed after a massive leakage problem a few years ago. The water level issue was resolved by connecting to an unused new well.
"We were in the middle of putting an upgrade into our water system,"Shearer said. "So we had a well drilled, but that's all it was. It was drilled and sitting there in a field. And when this happened, we were able to get that water well up and running, very quickly. My DPW had in about four days, they had a road built to it, electricity to it, a house built around it and pumping water."
Shearer said the village will potentially, in the future, draw from Chautauqua Lake.
"You can take it from the lake, if we had a system in place. If we don't, there are a couple of communities that do that," he said. "In our area, for the most reliable, consistent water quality, ground wells have proven to be the best way to do that."
Shearer said the village is working with the Chautauqua Institution on connecting with the lake and is looking at issues like cost for a connection.
