February 21st, 2018
ARKPORT, NY – The Arkport Village Board got some disappointing news last night from Gregory Lundergan, operator in charge of their water, that some imminent upgrades will soon be needed for their water filtration system.
According to Lundergan, lack of maintenance and oversight over the past decade has allowed the ultra violet purification system to decay to the point that it can no longer be trusted in performing its function. “Your system is composed of six super high intensity bulbs that kill bacteria in the water such as cryptosporidium, and because one of the bulbs is out, and no one has properly cleaned the sleeve containing the bulbs over the years, I highly doubt that the system is functioning up to specifications.”
Lundergan assured the board that there is no immediate threat to the drinking water, but some serious upgrading should be considered in the future. “Your current system is antiquated,” said Lundergan, “And you really should replace the entire unit instead of just replacing the bulbs and providing a thorough cleaning. It’s going to cost you a lot more money now, but will assure you clean water for years to come. Your current system is so old I highly doubt we can still get some of the parts needed to upgrade it.”
Lundergan stated that a company out of Rochester will come in and replace the bulb and clean up the unit for a cost of around $3,000, or they can overhaul the whole system for roughly $53,000. The village of Arkport has already committed millions of dollars upgrading their water infrastructure, and finding the funding for this upgrade might be a bit of a chore, but it’s something that can’t be overlooked much longer according to the head operator.
Mayor Charlie Flanders chimed in, “Well, I guess it boils down to do we want to do the band aid fix that may get us maybe one or two more years, or do we to overhaul the whole system now and save ourselves the $3,000 that will eventually be wasted?” Most trustees were in agreement that the whole system should be replaced asap, with John Hedges trying to secure a grant if possible, and somehow work it into next year’s budget. “We may have money left over from our current water project,” said Hedges, “And that would be great if we could use that toward this project.”
Gregory Lundergan, Arkport’s Operator in Charge of Water
