Water Resources in the Town of Ulysses

The following is based on a discussion with William Kappel, retired US Geological Survey hydrogeologist and resident of Trumansburg. We thank him for sharing his expertise and for reviewing and commenting on this article.

The Town of Ulysses Water Source Protection Plan Committee is developing a Water Source Protection Plan, with assistance from the New York Rural Water Association (NYRWA). Its goal is to identify factors that affect the quantity and quality of drinking water – and to plan for future needs and funding opportunities.

Outside of the Village of Trumansburg and the water district that includes Jacksonville, most residents rely on individual wells or Cayuga Lake for their water supply. The quality and quantity of water from these wells is first determined by the bedrock and glacial deposits (geology) and underground aquifers (hydrology) that exist beneath the soil surface.

Glaciers Shaped Ulysses

Our soils, topography, streams, and subsurface groundwater are all the product of millions of years of advancing and retreating glaciers. Glaciers carved out major drainages (including the Finger Lakes), left behind sediments and modified the bedrock surface as they advanced and retreated.

The most recent episode ended 10-14,000 years ago. As the glaciers retreated, they deposited a mixture of sediments over the bedrock, ranging in size from tiny clay particles to boulders. These sediments settled into variable layers above the bedrock. Dense glacial till, with modest water storage capacity, covers most of Ulysses.

However, glacial till and ‘glacial outwash’ filled in the valleys (notably Taughannock Creek valley). This glacial outwash – more sorted pockets of clay, sand, and gravel created by glaciers and eroded by glacial meltwater – created aquifers capable of storing larger quantities of water.

Underneath the glacial sediments is sedimentary bedrock, which is comprised of sediments laid down within shallow seas and then compressed to form rock over hundreds of millions of years. Shale is the major type of bedrock in the central New York region, along with small layers of limestone and sandstone.

Water Holding Capacity

Our soils formed from glacial till often have tight-grained subsoil, with clay and silt predominating. Depth to bedrock varies – but is often in the range of 5-40 ft deep.

Shallow, large diameter (3 ft+) wells dug into the surface till were the norm during the 1800s and early 1900s. They only produced a limited water flow, so many homes also had cisterns to collect rainwater and supplement well groundwater.

When well drilling replaced shallow dug wells, most were drilled into the ‘weathered bedrock’ layer and deeper into bedrock (40-100 ft). The 5” to 6” hole dug into bedrock accessed water seeping through bedrock crevices and also served as an underground reservoir. These wells yield ample supplies in spring and winter, but supply diminishes in the summer and fall.

Deeper wells (100-400 ft) extend further into the bedrock, where they can access additional water. Water moves more slowly down to these layers. Therefore, the deeper flow system can provide a more consistent supply during dry periods, but often has higher concentrations of minerals dissolved from the rock.

These dissolved minerals include chemicals such as sulfur, salt, and iron which can affect the water’s taste, smell or color. Wells located in limestone also can have a lot of dissolved calcium carbonate, leading to “hard” water which creates deposits or “scale” on faucets, tubs, and pipes.

Wells along the Cayuga lakeshore are not as limited by seasonal rainfall, as they are easily recharged by the lake. The Village of Trumansburg’s two water-supply wells are located close to the lake and are capable of supplying larger quantities of water to Trumansburg residents.

2008 Water Needs Survey

In 2008, a Water Needs Survey was sent out to Ulysses residents. Property owners identified several trends and concerns:

·       24% (135 property owners) reported not always having enough water, and 49 households reported running out of water for part of the year.

·       While 75% (427) had enough water, most reported treating water for one or more quality problems.

·       37% reported ‘good to excellent quality’ untreated water; 28% reported ‘fair’, and 34% rated their water quality as ‘poor or very poor’.

Common problems included hardness (72%), but also iron (55%), sulfur (43%), odor (38%), and taste (38%).

The report generated from the survey noted that “Most homes are supplied from wells drilled into bedrock that are usually less than 100 feet deep” and that they “yield about 4 to 5 gallons of water per minute”. Although this represents the average, a great deal of variability in depth and yield exists, with well depth ranging from 25 to 400 feet, and average flow rate ranges from 0.5 to 90 gal/minute.

Water Source Protection Needs

Outside of Trumansburg and the Jacksonville Water District 3, Ulysses residents rely on well water, which comes mostly from annual rainfall and snowmelt that replenishes groundwater. The quantity and quality of this water source can be affected by climate change (more frequent droughts and intense rainfall events) and land use.

Activities on the land surface can release chemicals, such as pesticides or industrial chemicals, or microbes which infiltrate the soil and leach downward into groundwater. Seepage from septic drain fields can also leach into wells. Careful land management is important to prevent groundwater pollution. Future population growth or other land uses may also increase groundwater demand. For these reasons, it is important to plan for the future use and protection of our water resources.

2023 Ulysses Drinking Water Survey

The Town of Ulysses Water Source Protection Plan Committee is working to develop a drinking water source protection plan. A key initial step is to collect information on our water resources and how they are used. We want to hear from all residents to ensure that a final plan best reflects the needs of our entire community.

Survey responses will be summarized and used as the basis for developing a Town of Ulysses Source Water Protection plan, with technical assistance from the New York Rural Water Association. For more information, visit the Town of Ulysses Water Source Protection Committee web page. https://www.townofulyssesny.gov/boards/wsppc-source-water-protection-committee/

Tim Martinson

Town of Ulysses Water Source Protection Committee