TUSTEN, NY– While the Town of Tusten water district used to have three active Wells where residents received water for bathing, drinking and cleaning their homes, now there is only one active Well with diminishing output. 

Supervisor of the town Ben Johnson says fixing the situation is a “priority” of the board. Right now, Well #1 is functioning with shrinking output capacity, but if it were to go down, “there would be an emergency for water,” he said.

Well #3 needs to be redrilled and Well #2, which has been offline for five or six years for reasons unknown according to Johnson, needs new parts and to be tested and approved by the Department of Health (DOH) to be brought back online. 

Johnson says tomorrow, October 24th, he is speaking with the insurance, engineers and water department personnel to determine if insurance will cover the cost of new drilling for Well #3. 

If insurance covers the Well #3 drilling, it will cover the cost except a $25,000 deductible, Johnson says.

If the drilling is not covered by insurance, 100% of the cost will be up to the town, which Johnson approximates at $150,000.

“It’s a bit of a juggling act with insurance," Johnson says, but waiting for a grant isn’t an option.

Currently, Well #2 is being completed with new parts and then it will move to the testing stage. Johnson says he predicts the process for Well #2 will be about two to four months.