City Drinking Water Below Standards
By HEATHER ZIEGLERFor more than two months, Wheeling's water supply violated a drinking water standard, but the city has implemented corrective measures.
According to Frank Blaskovich, interim water plant manager, the problem occurred between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31. That's when the required quarterly monitoring showed that Wheeling's water exceeded the maximum contaminant level for trihalomethanes. Trihalomethanes are by-products from the disinfection of water with chlorine and are caused by compounds binding with organic material in the water.
Blaskovich said when the situation was discovered, the water department implemented a blending of well and river water along with a change in chemical treatment to reduce the amount of TTHMs in the water. He said there was no immediate risk to anyone drinking the water and if that was a possibility, customers would have been notified immediately.
According to information from the water department, some people who drink water containing trihalomethanes in excess of the maximum contaminant level over many years may experience problems with their liver, kidneys or central nervous systems, and they may have an increased risk of getting cancer.
"With the hot and dry conditions and low river flow at that time, these things can occur," Blaskovich noted. "TTHM levels tend to increase with pH, temperature, time and the level of 'precursors' present. Precursors are organic material which react with chlorine to form TTHMs."
Blaskovich said that while the Ohio River, the main source of Wheeling's water supply, has been cleaned up significantly of chemical and industrial pollutants, Mother Nature can cause just as many problems.
"It's hard to fight Mother Nature," Blaskovich said. "The river is almost like a big lake sometimes, and there is algae growing in there 12 months a year. We are always looking at new ways of reducing these challenges."
Blaskovich said the city routinely monitors for the presence of drinking water contaminants and said while there is no emergency, "customers have a right to know what happened and what we are doing to correct the situation."
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Marianne
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03-12-09 4:49 PM
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Working for a laboratory which specilizes in drinking water analysis, I'm familar with the EPA's regulations for disinfection byproducts. The maximum contaminant level established at 0.080 mg/L and is based upon the running annual average which means the water supply may exceed the MCL for a month or two, but the annual average must be below 0.080 mg/L in order to meet the EPA's standards. The reason this is regulated that way is because in the summer months when bacteria flourish, higher amounts of chlorine are needed to kill all the bacteria thus they expect to have a higher level of trihalomethanes. It is quite common in July & August that many water supplies exceed this level.
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mernie
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03-12-09 1:59 PM
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Well, apparently someone consulted an attorney who advised the city to post a notice to its customers about the dangerous chemicals we were exposed to for several months. Did the story just "get out" around the building, thus resulting in alerting the public. Ahh, the need to know syndrome...what they don't know won't hurt 'em. How many other times have they not notified the public? I certainly want to have faith that the city has always been up front on the issue of public safety. Yellow caution tape.
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acousticportal
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03-12-09 9:43 AM
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Darn Mother Nature. She just doesn't check the contamination levels like she used to. Too bad no one at the water department is responsible for making sure that the water we drink and bathe in is safe. *****Bush!
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ifnotnowwhen
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03-12-09 9:02 AM
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Among the many questions that need to be answered is, "Did Mr. Blaskovich forewarn his family and friends of the revised blend of river, well water and change in chemical treatment?"
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bredwards
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03-12-09 4:00 AM
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Oh yes, make sure folks boil the water you drank until you get that out of state second opinion.>>Billy Ray
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bredwards
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03-12-09 3:54 AM
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In your last article on Wheeling water, I said there is No Margin for Error and with this information just made public, heads should roll. Somebody needs to be fired and better check and balance needs to be put in place on the Wheeling water system. The city of Wheeling, is lucky this time if it's true in whats said in this article, I suggest citizen of Wheeling, seek out of state a second opinion. >>Peace and Love>>Billy Ray
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