GOWANDA, NY - The Village of Gowanda has notified residents that one of the village's water sources has tested in violation of drinking water standards because of high barium content.
"This is not an emergency," the letter reads, released this week to the village. "You do not need to be alarmed or do anything different with your drinking water... You do not need an alternative (e.g. bottled) water supply."
The Cattaraugus County Health Department first detected the higher barium levels in water from a well in January 2015. In June 2015, it confirmed the report.
According to the letter sent to residents, drinking water with excess levels of barium may cause higher blood pressure for some people, if consumed over many years.
The letter claims: "this is not an immediate risk. If it had been, you would have been notified immediately."
Heather McKeever, the Mayor of Gowanda, learned of the barium report last month.
The village no longer uses the well as a primary water source. It was only used as a primary source because flooding knocked out the town's reservoir in 2014, but the village has switched back to using water from the springs.
"The positive thing here, this isn't a high-risk issue. And the levels of barium are very low," McKeever said. "I want (residents) to know that the water is safe to drink. And we are working toward continuing to maintain the springs so we can stay there, and not even worry about the barium levels with the well."
2 on Your Side also spoke with Village Trustee and Deputy Mayor Paul Zimmermann who says he does trust the guidance and the way in which the county health department is advising the village.
But we did also ask about the gap of a year between when the county health department began to monitor the barium levels in January 2015 and then when the village mayor and trustees were just informed last month. Zimmerman says "I have confidence in the county.
I can't speak directly to what their protocols would be as far as handling this type of procedure. But I think that the way they are handling it is an indication of how they're viewing the concerns over the barium."
Despite the President's Day Holiday when government offices are closed, 2 on Your Side did reach out to Dr. Chris Crawford of the Cattaraugus County Health Department.
He is listed in the advisory letter as a source of information. He said he was not available for an interview today but did say he would try to answer our questions tomorrow. Dr. Crawford says the risk to residents is worse from a slip and fall on a patch of ice as compared to any issues with barium levels in the water.