ILION, N.Y. -- Ilion residents could be without usable water for days. Gov. Andrew Cuomo made his third stop in the area in recent weeks, this time about the water main break on Barringer Road.
Lifelong Ilion residents, including the mayor, are calling it the worst water main break they've ever seen – so bad the mayor declared a State of Emergency.

Cuomo held a briefing for residents at the Ilion Municipal Building on Morgan Street Thursday afternoon around touring the break area.
The governor says that as they continue to repair area around the break, it will be days before the water can used. Safety was a key focus in Cuomo's address, saying that testing has to be done to make sure the water is safe for residents.
In the meantime, the state has another 40,000 bottles of water headed to the area for impacted residents.
We’re deploying 40,000 bottles of water to Herkimer County after a water main broke in the town of Ilion. We’ll continue working hand in glove with local leaders to provide whatever assistance is needed to get the situation resolved. pic.twitter.com/VaGaK4S4JC
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) January 31, 2019
Barringer Road, between West Prospect and West Main Street is still closed, as workers brave sub-zero wind chills, to fix the break.
These efforts have been going on for more than 24-hours now. They did finally reach the shut-off valve, so repair of the water main break started, in earnest around 8 a.m.
The mayor says some residents near the break have no water and many others might have low pressure or discolored water. The village is on wells right now.
The water infrastructure in the village is old, and it took a huge hit with this break, with thousands of gallons lost in the system before they found that shut-off valve.
Outdated insrastcuture for water sources is a statewide issue, according to the governor.
"Water issues are happening all over the state, and New York wants to be able to provide the best drinking water to all of Upstate New York. We are working on a long-term solution to the problem," Cuomo said.
Ilion's mayor quoted a former president, saying "the buck stops here," also promising residents a long term fix to the ongoing water issues that seem to plague the village.
“We'll have water to everybody before the end of the day to day. We will still be under a boil water advisory until such time that we get cleared from the health department and that would be three days. By the time system gets back to where it should be that would be about five days out,” Ilion Mayor Brian Lamica.
Officials urge residents to boil water, and conserve water. Bottled water is available at the Ilion Municipal Building.
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