ILION, N.Y. - The water transmission line from the well site on the north end of the Village of Ilion to the water treatment plant is now completed.

The line has been placed into service after the approval of the New York State Health Department as all water quality testing has been completed.

The transmission line comes after years of water problems, including residents having discolored water or no water at all.

The water line project was put into motion in 2018.

"The water itself was tainted with manganese and high iron content out of the wells, manganese out of the reservoir and it gave us some headaches and problems but we're back with nice clear water," Mayor Brian Lamica said.

The issue was due partially to the stratification of water in the reservoir which was corrected with the installation of an aeration system.

The other part of the problem was that the water from the well site was pumping directly into the system causing the water to flow in the opposite direction than what it had for over 100 years. The water pumped from the wells was colliding with the water coming down from the reservoirs causing turbidity in the system.

The water flow will now be all in one direction coming down from the treatment plant into the village and flowing in the same direction that it had for over 100 years.

Lamica says there is still a lot of work to do including rebuilding of the filter beds and distribution system improvements.

He says eventually this same line will be capable of supplying water to the treatment plant from the proposed Mohawk Valley Water Authority transmission line. That line would bring clean safe drinking water to over 22,000 people in the valley area.