Drinking Well

Some townspeople view wells as nuisances to tolerate until the city rescues the population by installing water meters that offer a common and trustworthy water supply. Other rural folk see wells as a statement of independence and a source of more "natural" water, but the recent need to drill deeper to find potable water creates concern and a decided uneasiness. As municipal pipes snake farther out into the rural communities, some welcome them, others resist.

Regardless of which side of the well issue residents reside, new water infrastructures upend a community, creating economic opportunities, eliminating others, and prompting political and health debates that foreshadow what scientists and researchers refer to as the coming global water crisis. But for now, the state of wells in the rural parts of central New York serve as our region's canary in the coal mine and offer a telling look at this area's water culture.

Do you use municipal water or a local well? Would you rather get your water another way? Does you think your community should provide municipal water services?