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5730 Seneca Street
Elma, NY 14059
Brian Nolan Jr. - Water Supervisor
Phone: (716) 674-8855
Fax: (716) 674-0929
Email: elmawater@elmanewyork.com or watercrew@elmanewyork.com
Office Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Voicemail is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Messages will be answered on the next business day. If you reach the voice mail during normal business hours it means the line is busy; please try again. In case of an emergency after hours please call 911.
Disclaimer Notice
Neither the Town of Elma Water District #1, any employee or agent warrants the accuracy, reliability, or timeliness of any information on our website. The Town of Elma Water District #1 is not responsible or liable for any loss, consequence or damage of any type resulting directly or indirectly from any reliance on the accuracy, reliability or timeliness of the information found on our website. Incorrect or outdated, and many of the documents and materials are not official versions of public record information. Any person, organization, business or any entity that relies on the information contained on this website, does so at their own risk. The user assumes responsibility of verifying any and all materials used from this website. Should you have any questions or concerns please contact the Elma Water Dept. either by email at elmawater@elmanewyork.com or calling 716-674-8855. Thank you.
Number ONE-Security and Safety:
The Elma Water Department has made additional heightened security improvements to our complete water system. Security and public safety are number one with us. To help us if you see anything that just “doesn’t look right” to you, please call us or call 911 to report it. Please note that water department personnel or the fire departments of Elma can only use fire hydrants.
What is the Elma Water Department?:
The Elma Water Department is a special district in the Town of Elma, which was formed in 1964 to distribute potable water to its residents. Elma purchases 100% of its water from Erie County Water Authority. We do not add any chemicals to the water, but we do test for purity and quality on a regular scheduled basis. Our objective and goal are to give our water customers good quality water, available water for fire protection, maintain our distribution system, and good service to our customers and residence of the Town of Elma at the best possible price. Our devoted crew and staff are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year if there is an emergency such as a break.
Help us Out:
The Elma Water Department employs eight dedicated professionals who continuously participate in educational training, maintain licensing programs that develop their skills to the highest possible levels. These people live in our town, are your friends, and drink the same water you do. No wonder they are committed to making sure that your water is pure, safe and affordable.
The Elma Water Department takes ten water samples per month at different sites around the town for microbiological contamination. In 2004 there were no violations.
The water department in its maintenance program flushes water mains on over 75 streets and had good chlorine readings at all locations. This is usually done in late December and early January.
The Environmental Protection Agency regulations insist the Elma Water Department notify customers if the water is not safe to drink. Water is not safe to drink when testing reveals that contaminants in the water exceed national limits for contaminant levels. In the unlikely event that water becomes unsafe to drink, Elma Water Department will notify the public by newspaper, television and radio announcements.
For a charge, homeowners who want to have their drinking water tested for bacteria, lead, copper, iron, nitrate, and mineral content may call the Erie County Public Health Laboratory at the Erie County Medical Center campus at 462 Grider Street, Buffalo, New York. Call the laboratory at 898-6100 to arrange to bring samples in.
The Elma Water Department is a leader with our Cross Control Program that protects the water quality within our system from contamination of industrial and commercial accounts. Homeowners can also help us protect our water supply by making sure they have vacuum breakers on all hose bibs. These are available at all hardware and building supply for less than five dollars. We have hosted training classes for town industry, the fire services, and other towns and villages from across the state about the importance of a complete cross control program. We are one of the few communities that are in compliance with the New York State and Erie County Health Departments for cross control.
When water is flowing in the opposite direction from its normal flow-ThatG¦+s backflow and it can put our water in danger.
If the water pressure in your area becomes lower than normal, the water can flow backwards. If you do not want to drink it, do not connect your water system to it. Always be sure thereG¦+s an air space of at least two inches. Do not leave hoses in buckets of water, car radiators, chemical sprays for lawn and gardens, etc. Make sure there is a hose-bib vacuum breaker attached to each outdoor spigot. If you have a well on your property make sure there are no connections between that water and the public water supply. You can be held responsible if the public water supply is contaminated by your cross connection.
To insure the safety of the public water supply, all businesses in the Town of Elma are mandated by law to be in compliance with the New York State and federal Laws regarding Cross Connection Control. All businesses must have an acceptable backflow device that is tested by a certified tester at least once a year. The appropriate paper work must be filed with the Elma Water Department office. Failure to comply with these laws will result in the shutting off of public water to the facility and the loss of your business use permit.
ELMA WATER DEPARTMENT WATER RATES
Approved by Elma Town Board effective February 25, 2026
Your bill is based on actual water usage. If you have a meter in your home it is necessary for you to read the meter reading cards sent to you in a timely matter and return them to the water department by the 16th of the month in which they are received. Your bill will be issued the beginning of the following month. Failure to read your meter may cause you to be over or under billed and not allow us to notify you of a leak when we notice a change in consumption.
To assure timely and accurate payment, please provide the water department with the larger stub (the one with the barcode on it) with your payment and write your account number on your check.
Bills can be paid by check or cash during normal business hours at Elma Town Hall, 1600 Bowen Road in the Building Department, or left in the payment slot at 5730 Seneca Street in our door 24-7 if paid by check (No cash please), or left in the drop box at Town Hall on the outside of the building to the right of the front entrance.
Payments can be made also on the town website on the front page by clicking on the block labeled pay water bill. We take credit card and checking account payments online. Payments can be mailed to 1600 Bowen Road or paid at Cy's Pharmacy.
Yellow colored water: Usually caused by a disruption in water system caused by a break or flushing the system. Water rerouted through different mains can cause water to pick up natural minerals that are in water. Water is safe to drink and should clear up in two days, if not call the water department. Try running the cold water only for about 10 to 15 minutes just at one faucet. When the cold water no longer looks dirty turn on the hot water and run it until the water is clear.(By not running the hot water until the cold water is clean, you'll keep discolored water out of the hot water tank.
Milky colored water: This is air in the water. To remove air from line, try running a faucet at the highest location in the house for about 15 minutes. If caused by a break in the system it should clear up in about two days, if not call the water department.
White particles clogging faucets: This may be the result of the filler tubes in some hot water heaters breaking down. It's most likely to happen with water heaters manufactured between 1993 and 1996. The plastic in the filler tubes sometimes breaks down into granules that look like powdered soap. According to the filler tube manufacturers, the problem has been solved. A replacement tube is available for about $5.00 and can easily be installed by a plumber or handy homeowner.
Low water pressure at one faucet: Check to see if filter screen is plugged. You can unscrew the screen and clean it
Low water pressure at more than one faucet: Check to see if shutoff valve if open all the way. This is located before the meter
Your pressure regulator may not be working properly. You will need to have a plumber test and replace the valve.
We are pleased to report the Elma Water Department's water system operated under NO VARIANCE OE EXEMPTION from any federal or state regulatory requirement whatsoever. In addition there were NO VIOLATIONS of the National Drinking Regulations in 2007.
In 2005 the Elma Water Department concluded a Lead and Copper survey and had NO sample over the 90th percentile value. This survey was taken thorough out the town with over 30 samples taken. Infants and young children are typically more vulnerable to lead in drinking water than the general population. It is possible that the lead levels at your home may be higher than that at other homes in the community as a result of materials used in your home's plumbing. If you are concerned about elevated lead levels in your homeG's water you may wish to have your water tested and flush you tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using tap water. Additional information is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791)
The town of Elma is a very pleasant growing community located in Erie County about twelve miles from the City of Buffalo. It covers an area of thirty-six miles of gentle hills and woods. Having no village within its boundaries it is wholly governed by a town board, thus eliminating all of the duplicities of governmental agencies common to many towns in New York State.
In 1963, through the untiring effort of our late Supervisor Merle E Reuther, the townspeople overwhelmingly voted in favor of forming a water district encompassing 85% of the Town's area. The cost was approximately five million dollars and meant starting from scratch. The entire town was on individual wells and many were unreliable, others sulphurous or salty. We had to rely on tank trucks for fire protection. Many people bought water to fill their cisterns and wells. It was not a good situation from any point of view.
Cherry, Preble, Conable and Sampson, Consulting Engineers from nearby Orchard Park designed the entire system. In 1966, it consisted of two pumping stations, each with a capacity of 4000 G.P,M and provisions for adding another 2000 G.P.M. without major pipe changes. Water is purchased from the Erie County Water Authority and is supplied from their 36-inch line, which runs along the west town line. The district was divided into three systems and none are interconnected.
Water was available to the first customer on November 2, 1964 and as construction continued and the approximate 95 miles of water lines were made available, more consumers were hooked up providing to over 1500 homes.
We do not employ any meter readers for we mail meter-reading cards to each customer with the request that the attached self-addressed postage paid card be returned in five days. Inasmuch as many homes are those of husband and wife both working and away all day, this has greatly reduced the number of estimated bills. We do, however, read all meters in pits.
Our public relations have been mostly enjoyable and being still a small district most of our customer contacts has been either by phone or a personal call. New customers are required to file an application in person which enables us to meet them personally and discuss their problems and explain the billing, rates, and other facets of our function. In the event of an interruption of service, advance notice is given each customer when such an interruption is planned; where the interruption is unplanned due to a break, whenever possible we notify as many customers as quickly as possible by either phone or personal call.
In the last forty years not much has changed except we now have increased pumping capacity of over 6000 G.P.M. at both pump stations. We now have over 4500 active accounts. The Town of Elma Water District is a water distribution system, with three (3) storage tanks, which have a storage capacity of two and a quarter million gallons, two pumping stations with 136 miles of water lines and 770 fire hydrants.
Our first water department superintendent, F. Harry Neidig, was hired in October 1964 and served till his retirement on January 31, 1982. Dennis Siebert held the position from February 1, 1982 until October 27, 1999. Our third and acting superintendent is Eugene F. Stevenson who accepted the position after Denny's retirement on October 28, 1999.
On September 24,1966 our office and pump station was dedicated in the memory of Merle E Reuther for his long hours to bring water to Elma. The Jamison Road pump station was dedicated on October 9, 1988 in the name of J. William Lexo the town supervisor form 1963 to 1987 for his dedication and untiring efforts to make the dream of a town wide water service a reality.
In 2003 the Elma Water District purchased 558,166,000 gallons of water from the Erie County Water Authority. The area we serve has a population of 11,400 people. Our gross operating revenue was 1,614,923.05 with an unaccounted loss of water of approximately 5 percent. Some examples of unaccounted loss of water are water used for fire fighting, fire training, water breaks, hydrant and water line flushing.