The physical facilities department at Binghamton University is testing soil and water samples taken from the ground at the Innovative Technologies Complex to explore the possibility of using on-campus wells to supply BU with drinking water.

The department is testing to see if underground conditions are suitable for the University to build wells to supply either part or all of the campus with its own water.

Sandy DeJohn, the utilities manager of physical facilities who has been overseeing the testing, said this will likely be a lengthy process.

“Right now, we are taking samples of the soil to see what foundation is underneath and if it’s suitable for creating a well. After that, there will be long-term pump tests to make sure we’re not impacting adjacent properties,” DeJohn said.

If these tests are successful, the water would have to be tested to make sure it meets U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and New York State Department of Health regulations. DeJohn said that the wells would have to be built in compliance with the standards of the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, and that the entire process could take up to two years.

Provided that these agencies give their approval, the final decision on drilling the wells rests both with the University and the State University Construction Foundation, according to Karen Fennie, the communications director for physical facilities. The University would have to decide whether to approve the project, and the SUCF would decide whether to fund it.

“If the campus eventually decided to go in this direction, there would be operation and maintenance costs associated,” Fennie said. But, she added, “I don’t think it is a significant drawback.”

Fennie said that the project’s cost could reach half a million dollars for construction with an additional $100,000 to $150,000 per year in maintenance fees, but that over time the benefits could outweigh this cost.

Campus water is currently supplied by wells in Vestal, which derive water from the Susquehanna River. DeJohn said that this method of obtaining water is costly to the University.

“It is inefficient to bring in [water from Vestal], treat it with our water softening system, pump it up to the storage tanks, then send it back down to the lowest part of the campus for irrigation of sports fields,” DeJohn said. “This does not seem to be a very sustainable option. If we used our own resources, it would save us money, and we would not have to take as much water from the town of Vestal.”

DeJohn indicated that an additional long-term benefit of BU supplying its own water may be to protect the campus against the potentially harmful effects of a certain type of natural gas drilling known as hydrofracking if drilling were to affect the municipal water supply. But she said that it was too early in the testing process to be able to consider these risks or benefits.

According to a recent report in The New York Times, waste water from hydrofracking has been discharged into the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania. The waste is processed through treatment plants before it enters the river, but the Times’ investigation discovered instances of insufficient technology in these plants to remove radioactive pollutants from the water and lax state oversight in Pennsylvania.

For now, though, Vestal water is believed to be safe for consumption. It is tested annually by the Town of Vestal Water Department, which publishes its test results online. According to the town’s official website, all water sources after treatment currently meet and exceed all state and federal regulations.

Vestal’s wells supply a population of 22,500. The maximum production capacity of its well sources is eight million gallons of water per day, but average consumption is three million gallons of water per day.

The University currently uses about 160 million gallons of water per year, down from an average of 200 million gallons about five years ago. The gradual decrease in water use is due in large part to conservation efforts.

“We’ve cut that usage through conservation methods like installing low flow shower heads, converting water-cooled refrigerators to air-cooled, installing sinks that turn on and off using a sensor, and troubleshooting for leaky sinks and faucets,” DeJohn said.

Fennie said that students can help to further reduce the school’s water use by taking shorter showers and by reporting any leaky plumbing to residential life staff.