MAYVILLE – In December of 2020, village residents were told to not drink their water due to traces of perfluorononanoic acid discovered.

Three weeks later a new well was put on line. The village also installed a filter system to remove the “forever chemicals” discovered.

Now New York State is now stepping in to test the soil in that area to see how far and wide it is contaminated.

“The Department of Environmental Conservation, with assistance and input from the Department of Health, is conducting an investigation of Mayville’s drinking water contamination to delineate the nature and extent of PFAS contamination, specifically the contaminant perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA),” TJ Pingnataro, assistant public information officer for the DEC said in an email.

Chautauqua County officials blamed the contaminated water on firefighting foam used during a training exercise at the former Mayville High School, which is now the Chautauqua Municipal Building.

“The investigation will evaluate known and potential source areas where aqueous film-forming foam was used for firefighting training exercises. Other areas located throughout the village of Mayville will also be evaluated to assess the local geology and any potential pathways that could lead contamination to migrate and create the potential for public exposure. The investigation will help determine where the source(s) of PFNA are in the Mayville area to support the development of a plan to address the contamination,” Pingnataro wrote.

As part of the investigation, environmental media including soil, sediment, surface water, and groundwater samples will be collected. Water samples will also be collected from the municipal supply wells to evaluate contaminant trends over time.

A carbon treatment system is presently installed on one of the existing supply wells to treat Mayville’s municipal water supply and ensure drinking water is safe for use and consumption by the village’s customers.

Mayor Rick Syper met with the DEC about the investigation. “They’re testing multiple sites now. They’re going to be drilling X amount of new inspection sites,” he said.

The new test sites include behind the old school on Academy Street, an area on Patterson Street, and near the old well number 3, which is not currently in use. “It’s just to determine the contamination depth,” Syper said.

Syper said it’s possible the state will decide to excavate some of the contaminated property, but what soil and how much will be removed is unknown.

He was told it will take a couple of months before the tests are complete.