Village fixes damage to water department wells

At a Board of Trustees meeting on Monday, the village approved nearly $65,000 for emergency repairs to two of the village’s water wells.

The Board approved two separate contracts with Layne Christensen to make emergency repairs — one contract of $14,713 for Well 3A and one contract of $49,860 for Well 2C.

According to village Spokesperson Julie Grilli, the pump in Well 2 wore out and Well 3 had a crack in it due to fatigue. They are two of ten water wells that serve village residents. Both are 50 years old.

Well 2 is located near the DPW building, and Well 3 is located on Forest Avenue, near the intersection with Maple Avenue.

“No residents were affected in any way,” Grilli said of the pumps malfunctioning. It took three weeks to repair Well 3 and four and a half weeks to repair Well 2. “The pump on well No. 2 needed to be replaced and it is not a item that are typically stocked,” said Grilli.

Rockville Centre’s wells are all drilled down hundreds of feet to the Magothy aquifer, which is the sole source of drinking water for the village. Last year, the village’s Water Department pumped out about 1.4 billion gallons from the aquifer, almost all of which was used by residents.

Grilli said that after the necessary repairs were made to the pumps, the new equipment was tested to make sure it was sanitary before the pumps were put back into the system.