FORESTVILLE - Water is supposed to be clear and drinkable, but the water in the village of Forestville is full of sediment.
Several residents were present at the village board meeting to voice complaints about the water quality. Toni Bishoff complained about water at her residence on Pearl Street. Bishoff, who brought samples of her water, is dealing with brown cloudy water filled with sediment.
"I need help. I don't know what kind of disease my family is going to get from this water," she said.
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OBSERVER Photo by Samantha McDonnell
Forestville resident Toni Bishoff showed the Forestville Village Board samples of her water at her residence. She asked the board for help regarding the situation.
Bishoff, who filters her water and still has cloudy water, says she must change her filter every six days. Bishoff brought four filters to the meeting. Each filter was either brown or black and full of sediment particles.
"If I'm not home for several days, I can make it (last)," Bishoff said speaking of filters she must change often.
Bishoff noted she purchased a filter in early May and had to change it 90 minutes later due to sediment clogging the filter. She has also gone through three other filters since. Bishoff also brought in samples of clothing that have been stained due to discolored water.
During the winter, there was a water leak on Pearl Street in the village. Bishoff believes the leak is contaminating her water.
"In my tank tonight was mud, stones. It has got to be coming in from where there is a leak," Bishoff said.
Other residents voiced their opinions regarding the water problem in the village in support of Bishoff's testimony. Bishoff asked if flushing the hydrants would help ease the problem with the water, but according to village officials, it would just make the water lines worse.
The village is currently involved in a water project and is working on closing the site land purchase for the wells. The engineer has completed the plans but they still need to be reviewed by the board. Once the land is acquired, the next step will be to connect the wells to the water system. The project will be bid simultaneously to keep the project on schedule, according to Deputy Mayor Beth Bowker.
Another issue brought up was the repairing of lines on Bennett State Road outside the village. The health department required the repair for Bennett State Road calling it an "emergency situation." Bishoff and other residents asked why an emergency situation could not be declared on Pearl Street. Bowker said the amount of water lost was a factor.
"There was a large amount of water being lost ... 80,000 gallons," Bowker said.
The board suggested Bishoff contact the health department to see if an emergency situation can be determined for Pearl Street.
Other residents complained Street Supervisor William Bentzoni was not at the meeting to answer questions. During the workshop prior to the meeting, the board discussed whether attending board meetings was part of Bentzoni's job description. The board will discuss the matter with the mayor, who was absent from the meeting.
"We are going to check to see if this is a requirement," Bowker said.
In other business:
Trustee Linda Aures asked if any residents would like to sign up for Laurel's Run to be held July 21. Anyone who is interested is to contact Wayne Hotelling or Aures.
Village employees will be required to record daily activities for three months and submit the record to the clerk and mayor for retirement purposes.
Comments on this article may be sent to smcdonnell@observertoday.com.
