By PETER FLIERL
NEW LEBANON–Peg Munves, co-chair of the New Lebanon Conservation Advisory Council (CAC), led a discussion and presentation on water well testing and contamination for residences in the Town of New Lebanon to a packed audience at New Lebanon Library. She was joined by Mary Theresa Julien and Martin Zarfarian from the NYS Department of Health, Braden Savage and Tyler Fogg.
With funds of $30,000, the New Lebanon Drinking Water Source Protection Program is offering free testing of wells in any home in New Lebanon. Volunteers have performed tests at approximately 90 wells in New Lebanon with 100 hours of volunteer service, namely, gathering well samples which are processed at a local lab paid for by the program. Ms. Munves repeatedly emphasized the confidentiality of test results.
New Lebanon has four watersheds and no municipal water system. Among areas of concern are underground storage tanks, sand and gravel aquifers, five mobile home parks, landfills, and the Route 20 and Route 22 business district. Filtering is looking for nitrates, bacteria, coliform (40% in NYS), E Coli (6% in NYS).
Residents of New Lebanon can request a test by reaching out to NL CAC by email to Don Lamonaca at nlcac.lamonaca@gmail. You are asked to share your concerns, whether or not you have filtration, and depth of your well if you know it. The sampling will take no more than 15 minutes.
For information on maintaining your well, visit https: ww.health.ny.gov/environmental/water/drinking/private_wells.htm.
