OBSERVER Photo by Gregory Bacon Matthew Zarbo discusses options for Mayville’s water project.

MAYVILLE — Village leaders will likely make a decision soon on what to do to improve their water.

During the February Mayville Village Board meeting, Matthew Zarbo with Barton & Loguidice discussed options for Mayville’s water system. He gave a similar presentation in September, however there are now three new trustees on the board, so Mayor Rick Syper asked Zarbo to return to let the new board members know about the possible projects.

To do all the necessary improvements now, it would cost $7.6 million. Zarbo the noted $2 million water grant the village was awarded last year is still available. There is a $500,000 match required, although that money could come from the state or the county.

Zarbo believes the village would be eligible for a grant of $3,920,000 as well as a $1,680,000 zero percent interest loan.

Mayville had been working with Zarbo since 2018, when it looked to install a new well to help improve pressure. Mayville had three working wells at the time, but one of them was weak and they were looking to drill a new well.

In 2020 as the fourth well had been drilled and was in the process of being put into use, the county Health Department issued a “Do not drink” order due to traces of perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) discovered. The PFNA was found in all three wells, but not in the new well.

Within two weeks of the ‘Do not drink’ order, Mayville put the fourth well on line, but asked for restricted village use of water, as the new well did not have the capacity to serve the entire village. In May of 2021, a filter system was installed on well 1. Between well 1 and the newly installed fourth well, the village could now adequately supply water without restrictions.

Zarbo said even though well 1 and well 4 are both working, neither can support the village on their own, should one of them go down. He recommends putting well 3 back on line and sending it to the filter system already constructed. This way, the village would have three wells, two which filter out the PFNA. Well 2 has been decommissioned.

He also recommended the village look for a new water source so it doesn’t have to filter water. The filters, while completely safe, are very expensive to replace and push water costs higher. If they were successful, the filtered water would only be needed as a back-up source.

If the village board moves forward with all the recommendations made by Zarbo and they get the necessary grants and loans, water users would be looking at an increase of $66 a year.

After the meeting, Syper said the village board will be holding a workshop where they will discuss various options. “I would like to see us in the next 30 days make some decisions on if we only want to spend that $2 million and try to find that $500,000 or if we want to do the whole project,” he said.