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Beekmantown residents report contaminated drinking water; board explores testing and grant options
Summary
Residents told the Town of Beekmantown at its March 16 meeting that household water on Stafford Road appears contaminated; town staff said they will pursue testing through the county health department and investigate grant funding while the board considers a change order to keep the current contractor on a related water-line project.
Residents urged the Town of Beekmantown to address possible contamination in private wells on Stafford Road during public comment at the March 16 regular meeting. "Our water is contaminated and I am wondering about having the water lines run down to us so we could have good quality water," resident Jonah Withers told the board.
Tammy Menard, the town clerk, and staff member Sam responded that the town would look into options. Sam said he would check what grant funding might be available and noted an original plan had put water lines on the house side of the road rather than the field side, but some property owners objected to lines running across their property. Sam told the board he would research the project constraints and funding possibilities.
Resident Melanie Wyand urged more rigorous testing before pursuing construction: she said Sam had advised her to bring water samples to the Clinton County Health Department. Wyand suggested agricultural runoff could be a source and recommended broader testing to identify the specific contaminants. Sam said sulfur had been noted but that identifying contaminants would determine the appropriate remedy and any grant eligibility.
The water-line concern connects to ongoing work on the town well and distribution project. Sam asked whether the town could issue a change order to Branon Construction to avoid a full rebid and instead modify the routing (digging along the road shoulder rather than through private property) to reach affected homes. The board indicated support for pursuing a change order and the town attorney agreed to prepare paperwork rather than initiating a new bidding process.
What happened next: the board later approved, by resolution, keeping Branon Construction on the project and changing the trenching approach so the line would be run down the road shoulder rather than through private parcels. The board also approved a Depository Trust bond interest payment of $24,274.38 due April 1, 2026, which was discussed in the same meeting.
The board did not schedule a vote specifically to fund water-line extensions to Stafford Road during the March 16 meeting; staff were tasked with pursuing testing and grant options and returning with more information or proposed actions.
