Uncertainty over how the state DEC will administer its legislatively required work under the state’s Freshwater Wetlands Act can sometimes color area residents’ perception of the DEC.

But the agency’s work in Mayville underscores the agency’s importance on less controversial, but no less important, areas that affect county residents.

DEC officials have begun testing soil in the Mayville area to determine the extent of previous PFNA acid in the wake of the December 2020 discovery of PFNA chemicals in a village drinking water well. A new well was put on line about three weeks later while the village also installed a filter system to remove the chemicals that had been discovered.

For many the incident is a distant memory. But it’s important to know just how much soil contamination there is in Mayville as a result of the use of the firefighting foam chemicals that contaminated water in Mayville nearly five years ago. Chautauqua County officials blamed the contaminated water on firefighting foam used during a training exercise at the former Mayville High School, which is now the Chautauqua Municipal Building. Those who know Mayville know the area is at the top of a pretty steep hill, which means gravity likely pulled the chemicals far beyond the initial exposure area.

“The investigation will evaluate known and potential source areas where aqueous film-forming foam was used for firefighting training exercises. Other areas located throughout the village of Mayville will also be evaluated to assess the local geology and any potential pathways that could lead contamination to migrate and create the potential for public exposure. The investigation will help determine where the source(s) of PFNA are in the Mayville area to support the development of a plan to address the contamination,” the DEC’s TJ Pingnataro told The Post-Journal.

The testing is important work for those who live in Mayville. It’s important to know how far the PFNA chemicals spread and how deep in the soil they are being found so that a proper treatment plan can be created to make sure Mayville residents aren’t further exposed to these chemicals.

It’s not controversial work. But it’s vitally important.