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September 2, 2010
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Water violation letters to be sent
Published February 7, 2010
Newton County water officials have indicated notices will be sent out by week’s end and they are already taking steps to remedy problems which resulted in an Environmental Protection Division technical violation issued last month.
Newton County is a major supplier of water to Walton County, who purchases 5.2 million gallons a day.
“There is no immediate cause for concern,” said Karl Kelley, director of the Newton County Water Resources Department, echoing sentiments expressed earlier by Walton County water officials. “We are already seeing some results from steps we have taken, and we are working with two consultants right now to see what additional steps we can take.”
The EPD violation, issued Jan. 20, was a result of byproducts from the disinfecting process being one part per billion over recommended levels. Kelley said recent heavy rainfalls “exacerbated” the problem through runoff water into Lake Varner. Newton County uses chlorine in its disinfecting process, which attaches to organic compounds and lessens the impact on humans. The additional run-off water caused an imbalance in the system and when additional chlorine was added, haloacetic acid levels exceeded EPD standards during a quarterly test in December.
“The results can really depend on the age of the water in the line,” Kelley said, adding the places that violated standards were in outlying areas with less water usage in the southern end of Newton County.
According to Kelley, water officials are adding additional carbon to the raw water at the plant’s filter system to help take care of a lot of the organics in the water and are also adding more carbon before the water is treated to help remove some of the haloacetic acid. Inside the plant, officials are changing the coagulants and adding carbon to the system’s filters. The water system has also purchased new testing equipment to help provide more accurate testing.
According to the EPD, drinking water containing haloacetic acids in excess of the recommended standards over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer. Kelley said it would take two quarts of tainted water a day over 70 years to result in any significant risk of cancer.
On Thursday, the letters were at the printers and Kelley said they were working with Walton County officials to determine the best way of handling the distribution of the information. Newton County officials have until Feb. 20 to let consumers know about the violation.
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