There has been a little more cloudy water than normal at the village's filtration plant in Gouverneur, but the condition doesn't last long and officials say the risks to those drinking the water are minimal.

"It doesn't mean that it's not safe," said filtration plant operator Earl Meashaw.
 
But, the village has been cited twice since February for violating state health guidelines, with turbidity readings more than double the acceptable limits.

"It's not like certain levels that would require a boil water order or advisory - it's not to that level," explained Peter Constantakes, a spokesperson for the New York State Health Department.

"But it is an indication that maybe something could have gotten through the filter or wasn't taken out as it should be," he explained.

While turbidity itself doesn't have any health affects, it can interfere with the water's disinfection process. In some instances, it can also allow microbes, including bacteria and parasites, to enter the water.

The village's filtration system was originally built in 1964 and that may be part of the problem.

Plant operator Earl Meashaw says the village routinely uses hundreds of thousands of gallons of water daily - all taken from the Oswegatchie River, treated, and then distributed to village users.

While health officials say the village water is safe to drink, there is still a slight risk bacteria could slip through when the turbidity is high:
 
"If they have certain symptoms, that they're not feeling well and they don't know why, it's really something that if they could tell their doctor, 'Well, you know, some of the water level tests may have been high,' the doctor may look at that to see if it's a cause," Constantakes said.

For the past few weeks, the turbidity levels have been well below the state's recommendation.

Meanwhile, the village is going out to bid on replacing the oldest water filter in its system, in hopes it will correct the problem.