Even so, it takes a skilled driller to navigate underground and find untainted water. Beneath the surface in many places, a layer of salt water resides a few hundred feet down. In western New York, that salt water is actually brine — water that's 10 to 30 times saltier than seawater. Any driller who delves too far down eventually strikes this undrinkable mixture. Near Seneca Lake, the water at that depth is contained within rocks riddled with sulfur, giving it a rotten-egg smell. In other places the water becomes excessively "hard." Hard water contains large amounts of dissolved calcium and magnesium. Drillers have to strike a balance between going deep enough to protect the well from surface contaminate and staying shallow enough to remain within the pocket of potable water. So while the favorable geology of New York lends itself nicely to water wells, a knowledgeable driller, such as Simmons, remains a necessity. Hiring one makes up a large part of the cost of any new well.
Unfortunately for consumers, that cost has risen lately. A few years ago, the state passed legislation requiring all drillers to earn certification by the NYSDEC, which involves fees, paying for and passing exams, and complying with equipment and usage guidelines. These new expenses are now largely passed on to the customer. While such official monitoring reduces the number of "below-the-board" bargain drillers, only about 300 certified drillers remain to service the entire state. Despite the drop in well usage, demand remains high for this small group, and they charge a premium price for their services. The cost of drilling and pump installation varies from $5,000 to $10,000 for a residential well. One Bristol well owner says he paid about $1,200 for his 120-foot well around five years ago and claims his neighbors have been quoted $7,000 for a new well this year. "A lot of guys used to do it under the table for a lot less, and those guys are gone now," he says.
After the initial cost of pump setup and drilling the hole, relatively cheap upkeep and testing are the only additional expenses. The costs are even less for well owners who test their wells infrequently. The people who don't test usually aren't worried enough about the quality of their water to make the drive. "Seems folks who have lived in the area with a well for a long time feel comfortable with it," says Amy Samuels of CCE. "If people move out here that are used to municipal, they feel uncomfortable because of the maintenance and the strange taste." Those people insist upon getting city water even if it's not in their best economic interest, so the number of wells continues to drop.
The health risks of lax well testing partially depend on who drinks the water. Families with newborns have to be especially cautious. A large amount of nitrates, a form of nitrogen that results from the decomposition of waste or nitrate fertilizer, is normally safe for adults. In the bodies of developing babies, however, they convert to nitrites. Nitrite exposure leads to "blue baby syndrome," a dangerous condition in which the function of red blood cells is disrupted and anemia sets in. But even if elevated levels of nitrates are found in a well, water treatment methods can remove them. John Hassett, a well owner and professor of aquatic chemistry at SUNY-ESF, says that occasional tests are enough to catch most dangerous substances. He admits that he didn't have his well tested until his first child was born, when he was concerned about nitrate levels.
In any case, problems with nitrates extend beyond wells (municipal systems harbor the same susceptibility). Hassett says that most water problems in central New York, especially those in the public water supply, stem from nitrates. The earth exists as a natural filtration system, and the groundwater replenishing the wells moves at a snail's pace. Unless a contamination site is located right next to the source a well draws on, more chemicals are usually found in the surface water supply used by municipal systems. Bodies of water, like lakes, rivers, and streams, are thus likely to test positive for nitrates long before the contaminates seep into groundwater. "In reality, private well owners have a better handle on water than municipal systems do," says Tom Bates, president of Empire State Water Driller Association. Scientists agree with Bates. As it turns out, municipal systems don't always have cleaner water. If well water is cheaper and just as clean, the decision of so many rural communities to move to municipal water before urbanization demands it seems puzzling.
Nonetheless, the change continues all across the state. Beyond Bristol, other small towns are joining the rush to go municipal. The town board of Manchester recently approved a 10-mile extension of the water line that supplies some of its 3,815 households with water from Rochester. The town's assessor estimates that 774 households have access to private wells. The additional line — originally estimated to cost $1.8 million aided by a $350,000 grant — will replace sources of groundwater that have become "scarce." The connection fee for residents will be at least $1,000. It's unknown how many residents the new water line will serve, but the more the costs are added up, the more it becomes apparent that building the infrastructure necessary for getting municipal water to rural areas quickly becomes expensive.
The politics of water extend far beyond small towns and all the way to the White House. The federal Clean Water Act has been revised several times since its enactment in 1972. While the consensus is that a basic structure for regulating pollutants into waterways is absolutely necessary, some local scientists and drillers argue that the state and federal governments' regulations regarding water have become too stringent. The New York State Assembly recently passed a law that will require all property owners to test the drinking water from private wells before a house is sold. It also establishes a private well-testing program that specifies the materials that must be tested for. The next step may be mandatory annual testing. "New York has a tendency to swing like a pendulum very far in different ways: very lax to very strict," Bates says. "Now they want test results in five days. You can't get it back in five days. It's impossible." The new crackdown on private wells comes at a time when wells are not only still safe sources of drinking water, but small towns are joining strictly controlled municipal systems anyway.
