The Goshen community’s boil water notice remains in effect until Wednesday, August 28.

The boil water advisory went into effect on Saturday, August 24, due to high levels of turbidity in the water in the village of Goshen. The permissible turbidity level is 1 unit. Samples taken on Saturday showed turbidity levels of 2.3 units.

Until the advisory is lifted, businesses and residents in the Village of Goshen should boil water for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, brushing teeth, and preparing food.

The village’s press release states that high turbidity levels “can impair disinfection, promote the growth of harmful microbes, and indicate the presence of harmful microbes such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites. These can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms and pose a particular health risk to infants, some elderly people, and people with severely weakened immune systems.”

Village water samples must return “normal” levels for two consecutive days for the boil water advisory to be lifted, so the advisory is still in effect. Monday’s samples were “normal and free of bacteria,” according to the village’s latest update posted on the Go Goshen app. Results from Tuesday’s water samples will not be available until Wednesday, August 28.

The original notice and all updates were distributed by the Village through its Facebook page (facebook.com/Villageofgoshenny) and the Go Goshen app.

The Goshen Village Police Department is procuring water bottles for those in need. If you need water bottles, please call 845-294-7988.

Diluted communication

Meanwhile, residents expressed frustration with the village’s communications strategy.

“I received this notification via Go Goshen and on Facebook as a person with a smartphone. Many in our village do not have access to these. I received several voicemails last fall for Fall Festival – perhaps this urgent notification of something that could affect residents’ health should be sent as a voicemail,” one resident commented under the village’s first notification posted on Facebook.

“There should have been signs in the village,” commented resident Sarah Morgano in response to the village’s Facebook update Monday that the warning was still in effect. “If there’s an app that people need to do this, you need to do a better job of informing residents about it. I was very disappointed with the lack of communication and didn’t find out until the second day.”

When he learned of the notice a day late, “I wrote a message to my neighbors informing them about the boil water notice, and they had no idea about it before,” Morgano told The Chronicle.

Coffee chains close, small shops remain open

Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts locations in the Village of Goshen have been closed since Tuesday, August 27. Signs posted on the door of Starbucks and inside Dunkin’ Donuts indicated that the stores are closed due to the boil water notice.

Other restaurants in the village were open Tuesday afternoon, including: Sunflower Cafe, Goshen Chinese Kitchen, Goshen Diner and Brew-Goshen.

To combat the water issues, Brew has purchased pre-packaged ice for all beverages and serves bottled water and canned soda. Dishes and glasses are cleaned and sanitized in the gastropub’s high-temperature commercial dishwasher. Plastic cutlery is also available upon request.

The local gastropub informed its guests of the news and said: “We look forward to a quick and safe resolution of this situation.”

Conditions improve, communication remains the same

In several updates on Facebook and the Go Goshen app, the village urged residents: “Please be sure to share this information with everyone who lives and works in the village.”

“If you have a smartphone, please also download the Go Goshen app if you haven’t already. It will send notifications and alerts,” the village said in a Facebook update on Monday.

This article will be updated as more information on the boil water advisory becomes available. If you are a resident or business owner affected by the advisory and would like to contact the newspaper, email Molly Colgan at [email protected] or call 845-469-9000.