ntis with Barton & Loguidice speaks at the Chautauqua Town Board meeting. The town as well as the village of Mayville have joined the Drinking Water Source Protection Program.

MAYVILLE – Village and town officials are taking steps to further protect drinking water.

This week, during both the Mayville Village and Chautauqua Town boards, officials approved joining the Drinking Water Source Protection Program.

The Drinking Water Source Protection Program is a locally led, state-supported program that empowers municipalities to take action to improve and protect their public water sources and surrounding environment. Communities accepted into the program will work with technical assistance providers to develop and initiate implementation of their unique Drinking Water Source Protection Program, leading to actionable steps each municipality can take to protect their drinking water sources now and into the future.

Mayville receives its water from public wells in the village. In the town of Chautauqua, residents who receive public water either get their water from public wells or from Chautauqua Lake.

Grace Desantis from Barton & Loguidice was at both meetings to answer questions from the public. Her firm was the consultant used for the program.

She noted that the program is not a new law, but rather is a “designation” that looks at things like fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, harmful algal blooms, septic systems and more.

In addition, when developers propose something and a State Environmental Quality Review is required, additional review will be required. Desantis said it doesn’t necessarily mean an environmental impact statement will be required, which is timely and expensive.

It does, though, require a review on how a project will impact public drinking water. “If it is determined that a significant adverse impact may occur, the lead agency of the project must consider measures to avoid, reduce or mitigate the impact,” Desantis said.

According to the state DEC website, Mayville and Chautauqua are the only Chautauqua Lake communities to join the Drinking Water Source Protection Program. Other communities that have joined in the county include the village of Westfield and the town of Cherry Creek.