Allegany County Department of Health: This is a precautionary advisory, no bacteria has been found
By Andrew Harris,
Whitesville residents have informed the Wellsville Sun that yesterday, November 25, the county health department determined that dangerous bacteria had entered the water supply.
The contamination appears to have been born from damage to the water treatment system tied to a power outage in early October 2025. On October 10, town officials on social media indicated that the outage had “caused the breakers to trip and the pump in the well house stopped.”
That resulted in a water pressure problem throughout the system and apparently some damage. At about 10pm last night, town officials indicated that repairs to the well house were being made:
“We are installing new piping in the well house and have to prove it is safe with testing.“
Residents are being notified in a door-to-door effort and using social media on the Town of Independence Facebook page.
Allegany County Health Department officials confirmed that this boil order is standard procedure whenever a mechanical failure occurs in a water treatment system. None of the samples collected tested positive for e.coli or other cloriform bacteria.
As of this reporting, the repairs to the facility have been completed and Town Supervisor Jeri Reichman has delivered new samples to the county health department for testing. According to the health department, once those samples have been tested and the water is deemed safe, the boil advisory will be lifted on Thursday November 26 at about 10am.
One Whitesville resident wasn’t happy about the problems or the recent rate increase. They had this to say but asked to remain anonymous:
“They’ve also had a bunch of leaks, but it’s unclear if it’s related to the pump issue. People are angry at the incompetence including me. They had to hire an outside company to map out the leaks which is probably why they are increasing the quarterly rate from $30 to $40 to pay for it.”
From the Allegany County Department of Health:
Water from the Whitesville water treatment system may pose a serious health hazard due to not meeting the treatment requirements set forth in Subpart 5-1.
The Whitesville water treatment system recently experienced unexpected damage to the system, which resulted in loss of water pressure and thorough treatment, a violation of Subpart 5-1 of the New York State Sanitary Code.
The resulting lack of treatment requires this Boil Water Order to be implemented immediately and stay in effect until rescinded by the Health Department.
The New York State Department of Health (State DOH) has determined that the presence of E. coli and total coliform bacteria in an untreated/undertreated water system is a serious health concern.
E. coli bacteria are generally not harmful, but their presence in drinking water is serious because they are usually associated with sewage or animal wastes that may contain disease-causing organisms.
Disease symptoms from such organisms may include diarrhea, cramps, nausea, vomiting, jaundice, fatigue and headaches. They may pose a special risk for infants, some elderly people, and those with compromised immune systems.
Please note that these symptoms are not just caused by harmful organisms in drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to see your doctor or seek medical advice.
This water should not be used for human consumption.
To allow it to be used for human consumption, it must be free from disease-causing organisms. This may be accomplished by boiling the water for at least Two Minutes. Bottled water, certified for sale in New York State, can be used as an alternative.
Bagged ice should be used as opposed to ice from any automatic ice-making machine plumbed into this water supply. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice from the Health Department.
The supplier of water must inform all water system users of this BOIL WATER ORDER by the most expeditious, appropriate means possible. These include:
- Notification through local newspapers, television and radio stations.
- Door-to-door notification.
- Street-to-street notification using public address systems.
- Conspicuous posting inside the affected facility at drinking fountains, in bathrooms, and general access areas on or inside the facility.
The Health Department will provide the supplier of this water with instructions on procedures to take to bring the water back to acceptable standards for human consumption. This Boil Water Order will be lifted once the damage to the system is fixed, and water samples come back negative for any E. coli and total coliform.
Emily Owczarzak
Public Health Director, 11/25/2025
