by Stephanie Sorrell, originally posted on July 9, 2016

ILION, N.Y. – Nearly a month after a malfunction at the water treatment plant left village residents on a boil water advisory for several days, the same problem has occurred.

Ilion Mayor Terry Leonard said during a telephone interview Friday he was informed of the problem at 4:15 p.m., Thursday that “the ultraviolet unit at the water treatment plant went down again.”

“It’s the same thing that happened earlier in June,” he said.

Leonard said the village had to notify the state Department of Health and said it was advised to go to a boil water advisory. It is effective for all residences that use the village water supply.

Leonard said Friday steps were being taken to fix the problem.

“The replacement part for the damaged equipment has been received,” by the village, said Leonard. Village crews were scheduled to start repairs by late afternoon and continue until it’s back working, he said.

Leonard said once the unit is operating, they will start with the water sample testing to see if whether the water is clear. Meanwhile, he said the advisory will likely last throughout the weekend.

“My hope is that it will be lifted by the start of next week,” he said.

On June 6, the village was put on a boil water advisory after the ultraviolet system went down. During that incident, technicians had to be called in from Syracuse and Maryland to repair the problem, as the unit broke down twice within several hours. That advisory was lifted June 14.

The village had the ultra-violet system installed last year to meet surface water requirements.

Leonard said in a previous Times Telegram article that the company that sold the village the equipment, Atlantium Technologies of Israel, was fabricated electronic parts to make the repairs. He also said that company representatives were expected to meet with the village representatives in July to make sure the village has a “permanently running operation.”