Drinking water concerns addressed in Valley, Fayette
Higher levels of a chlorine byproduct have been discovered in drinking water in the Mid-Mon Valley, a problem that has plagued some in Fayette County for years.
Ed Golanka, general manager of the Authority of the Borough of Charleroi, acknowledged that the results of state Department of Environmental Protection-required sampling conducted by the authority for the third and fourth quarters of 2015 exceeded the DEP’s accepted standards.
The readings at the Charleroi authority’s water treatment plant were 0.085 millograms per liter of trihalomethanes (TTHM). The DEP accepted standard is 0.080 milligramms per liter.
TTHM is a chlorine byproduct of disinfecting the drinking water. These by-products are formed as a result of a chemical reaction that occurs between organic carbon compounds, which occur naturally in the river water source, and the application of chlorine to disinfect the water.
Golenka said the readings are due to high organic matter in the Monongahela River.
“We’re at the mercy of the river,” Golenka said.
He said the authority is completing renovations of its water treatment plant. The settling facility is being brought back on line and he is hopeful that will bring those levels down.
Because drinking water sits in the lines longer to reach customers in Speers, Twilight, and parts of Somerset Township, TTHM levels are adversely affected.
The high levels are not an immediate health concern, Golenka said, noting this is the first time they have exceeded accepted state standards.
“If you continued drinking that water for years and years, it could affect your health,” Golanka said. “But it is not an immediate concern. We take great pride in meeting or exceeding the state levels.”
Possible long range health concerns could include liver, kidney or central nervous system disorders, or even cancer.
Each quarter of the year, samples are drawn at representative locations of the authority’s water system and tested for various chemicals that are categorized as trihalomethanes, Golanka said. The values observed for the most recent four quarters are averaged and reported at each location. The average at two locations exceeded the maximum value in the regulations, and resulted in the notices being sent to the authority’s customers. The other two sample sites did not exceed the regulation limit, Golanka said.
The authority provides water and sewage service for customers in Charleroi, Fallowfield, Speers, Dunlevy and North Charleroi.
Elevated values of organic carbon compounds often occur in summer and fall months and result in higher TTHM formation during this same time.
“Just as it takes time to raise an average, it may take time to reduce the average,” Golenka said. “This is dependent on the future test results.
“We have taken steps to reduce the amount of disinfection byproduct formation. At the treatment plant, steps have been taken to adjust the treatment process to minimize the amount of chlorine used. Recent treatment plant renovations have added additional treatment measures to improve the removal of organics present in the source water and reduce disinfection byproduct formation.
“These steps and a change in source water conditions will lead to a reduction in future byproduct levels.”
The problem is not isolated to the Charleroi water authority.
The Municipal Authority of Washington Township recorded two violations in 2015. A reading of .0915 was measured in the third quarter and .090 in the fourth quarter. The authority released letters to its customers Sept. 30 and Nov. 11 respectively about those readings.
Washington Township Supervisor Jan Amoroso said a reading for the first quarter of 2016 is due soon.
“Because readings are averaged, we may have to issue another violation,” Amoroso said.
The Tri-County Joint Municipal Authority, with more than 3,000 customers in Washington and Fayette counties, has had problems with high levels of TTHM for the past decade. Authority officials have said it is a problem caused by low water usage at the far western portion of the system, where chlorine has time to interact with organic material.
The problem has raised concerns among some employees and inmates at SCI-Fayette, as well as among residents of LaBelle, which are served by the water system, that the potentially carcinogenic byproduct may be the cause of various kidney ailments some of them have suffered. The Herald-Standard has been attempting to get medical information from the state prison system regarding cancers and other serious illnesses diagnosed as SCI-Fayette, but to date, the information has not been received despite an order from the state Office of Open Records.
Tri-County has been working with the state Department of Environmental Protection to resolve the problem. The authority recently filed suit in Washington County against Chester Engineering of Coraopolis to obtain files related to plant improvements. Chester served as the engineering firm for the authority from April 2006 until April 2015.
Staff writer Christine Haines contributed to this report.