POTSDAM — The village has advised residents of Country Lane Apartments, which are next to the Route 56 Lowe's store, that they must petition for annexation if they want water service.

Owner Lloyd Vienneau, whose land was cut out of the home improvement retailer's site plan late last year, has complained that blasting at the site has contaminated the eight-unit complex's well.

"The village board has no rights or responsibilities to act outside of our jurisdiction," a letter sent to the tenants says. "The village has suggested to Mr. Vienneau that he approach the town board and ask for annexation into the village to gain these services."

But Mr. Vienneau has made it clear he doesn't want his property annexed into the village because he doesn't want to pass on the cost of higher taxes to his tenants.

Although he has presented no proof, Mr. Vienneau also blames the village for the contamination of the complex's well, because, he said, he thinks the municipality mishandled the state environmental quality review for Lowe's.

"The residents said that they wanted water, but they didn't want to pay anything for it. Lloyd just wants somebody to solve his problem," village Administrator Michael D. Weil said.

In the letter, Mayor Reinhold J. Tischler pointed out that the state, not the village, grants blasting permits.

Mr. Vienneau also has threatened to place his 38-acre strip of land, which runs adjacent to the Lowe's property on both sides of Route 56, in a land trust so the village cannot annex any other property past that point.

"What I think he said was, 'I've spent this much on legal fees before, and I'll spend more. I'm not threatening you, but I'll use lawyers if I have to,'" Mr. Weil said. "I don't think the village is on a mission to annex. I suppose if this stopped future development, nobody out there would ever be able to get water, according to his own design."

In addition to having construction crews up and down their road all day, residents of Country Lane Apartments have been using bottled water for five months, as they wait for Mr. Vienneau to take action.

In a Sept. 19 letter, the state Department of Health ordered the landlord to "provide testing and treatment to assure his tenants of safe and potable water" and asked that a solution be found by Oct. 3. Mr. Vienneau said it would cost about $5,000 to install an ultraviolet or chlorination system.

He did not answer calls for comment Friday.

Mr. Vienneau has been at odds with village officials and business developers twice recently.

Last year, Lowe's developer Jeda Capital LLC changed its site plan to move the stormwater drainage area and shift the access road, in order to avoid buying land from Mr. Vienneau, according to Frederick J. Hanss, the village's planning and development director.

Mr. Vienneau also owns part of 75 Market St. along with Paul M. Blevins, where a $10.5 million Hampton Inn was slated until the land deal fell through last spring. The two men bought the 2.3-acre property for $280,000 in 2006, and at last listing, are now asking $2 million for it.

"Let's put it this way — we've been told by the developers that they'd be glad to work with the village again in the future," Mr. Weil said of the hotel deal.