This announcement and commitment by the Town of Herkimer moves the overall process of the Village of Ilion closer to the reality of being provided safe, abundant, and aesthetically pleasing drinking water from MVWA.
The Remaining pieces of the original 5 municipalities that have shown interests are the Villages of Frankfort, Ilion, and Herkimer. Schuyler has already moved forward on their water district formation and projects.
Despite all the rhetoric, the Village of Ilion the original reason and purpose for this water transmission line, remains behind in necessary commitments and procedures to the project. The current Well to treatment plan transmission line taking place in the village at a cost of around 3million dollars, is an internal infrastructure improvement project. it is necessary to bring well water located at the north west part of the Village south to the treatment plant, where it then can be treated and redistributed via gravity back to the distribution system. Engineers have stated along with village officials that this line can be used and is necessary if and/or when MVWA source of drinking water are the chosen option.
Village officials have referred to the internal transmission line as " Giving them Breathing room" and the MVWA transmission line as a Secondary source.
This is the problem and the probable cause for delays. It has been determined by DOH and engineers that the wells themselves cannot alone supply the necessary daily demand of the village which is around 1.1 million gallons per day average. The maximum capacity of wells per day is 800,000 at full throttle. The village perhaps all though it has not been reported or part of the presented capital improvement projects, will attempt to utilize failing filters to make up for the remaining 300,000 or so gallons per day. Again, the issue is this is what is presently being done, and we know how well this is working. Boil water advisories, discoloration, Oder, lead and other metals present, water conservation, bottled water. Not committing to MVWA as the primary source of the Village's drinking water is folly, against engineering and reality, and does not improve one bit the current or future situation!
"Throwing good money after bad"; Like other communities who have and are making the right choices, the Village of Ilion elected officials need to declare now, how they are going to move forward, and stop the double talk. "The buying of time" as being touted as the reason for delay has more to do with general fund operations, than in providing safe, clean and reliable water. We see this in the annual budgets and increasing interdepartmental transfers that occur. We the People, must demand that our elected officials, as they tout, must put safety first! Make the commitment, join the other communities who have and are, and make the necessary cuts and adjustments in operations and management to give Ilion residents a brighter future.
David Murray
http://townofschuyler.com/publichearingnotice.pdf