Water Protection Committee
Your Water, Your Life
We need to regularly test our well water for contaminants because it is not always obvious to our taste buds. Yearly testing for bacteria and every 3-5 years for other contaminants is recommended. However, this is not often possible or affordable.
Also consider testing if:
- You notice changes in smell and taste.
- You suspect physical symptoms are caused by your water.
- You experience runoffs or spills that may get into your water.
For more information on water testing, please contact the Community Science Institute:
Your Water Protection Committee
The committee was instituted by the Town Board in May of 2020. The Town Board then passed a Drinking Water Protection law in January of 2022. The law empowered the Town Planning Board to assess site plans (for commercial developments and/or housing) as they impact the quality and quantity of groundwater resources. This law is meant to:
- Assure that there are control measures to prevent the contamination or depletion of groundwater
- Review the placement of water wells vis-à-vis separation from contaminants
- Review the water demand from a site plan proposal
- Assure that there is a spill protection plan
- Review the description of proposed storage facilities of hazardous wastes
We consider the Enfield Creek Valley to be significantly sensitive to any change affecting the
groundwater. The Water Protection Committee is continuing to work on ways we can be more proactive in protecting our drinking and surface water. Possible water protections include monitoring places in the town where contaminants may easily enter the water supply, and recommending strategies for adding protection to Enfield’s waterways.
For More Information:
- Visit the Tompkins County Health Page (External Site)
- Read the New York State Department of Health “Protect Your Family’s Water” Brochure (External Site)
Our Water, Our Life
The lands that we live on were inhabited by the Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫʼ people and their ancestors for
thousands of years, since the glaciers retreated from the Finger Lakes. They are still here, all around Cayuga Lake.
Our Water Protection Committee joins our Indigenous neighbors in a goal of preserving the natural world, especially our water, for future generations. We have been honored to have the participation of a Sachem of the Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫʼ Council in our committee.
Enfield is entirely dependent upon groundwater for drinking water. Protection of the local groundwater resources from potential sources of contamination is thus especially important.
In 2021, a townwide survey of residents’ water quality was conducted.
2021 Enfield Well Water Study Findings
- 10% had bacteria contamination issues
- 10% reported heavy metal, nitrates, or methane gas contamination.
- 20% used water treatment devices.
- 15% had issues during dry spells.
- 50% of residents wondered if issues were were caused by septic systems, or chemical leaks from storage or transportation
Later, in 2021, the Town arranged for the NYS Department of Health to test 22 wells randomly and throughout Enfield.
Important results included:
- 10 of the wells tested positive for total coliform bacteria, only 2 of which were positive for E coli, the immediately hazardous bacteria
- Nitrate levels were low in all the wells
We value the water that we have inherited. Generally speaking, the quality of our water is excellent and we would hope to pass it on that way, to future generations.
Enfield Water Systems
The water that we pump from our wells comes from the aquifer, which are waters under our land — underground rivers or lakes. Although our aquifer seems plentiful, it is crucial that we monitor it. Aquifers in other parts of the country and the world are being drained and not replenished by rainfall and snow melt.
The Enfield aquifer comes to the surface in creeks. Although this is not our drinking water, protecting them from contamination is equally important. They are the habitat of our fish, birds, and animals. And they eventually become the source of drinking water for our people.
The vast majority of our surface waters drain into the Cayuga Lake Inlet via Enfield Creek through Treman Gorge. Two smaller creeks, Willow and Glenwood, begin in Enfield. A small part of Enfield is also crossed by Taughannock Creek, a major creek which eventually goes over Taughannock Falls into the lake.
Protecting Our Water From Surface Contaminants
New York State has laws designed to protect our well water by requiring specific distances (in feet) between wells and potential contaminants.
| Contaminant | Distance |
|---|---|
| Drainage Ditches / Wetlands / Streams | 25 |
| Septic Systems | 50-200 |
| Barnyard Animal Pens | 100 |
| Cemeteries | 100 |
| Fertilizer or Pesticide Mixing Areas | 150 |
| Manure Pits, Fields with Spread Manure | 200 |
| Chemical or Petroleum Storage Areas | 300 |
Water Committee Members
- Stephanie Redmond
- Nancy Spero
- Alan Teeter
- Becky Sims
- Dan Walker
- Marcie Finlay
- Julie Schroeder
- Jude Lemke
- Tom Joyce
- Briana Joan Binkerd-Dale