HomeMy WebLinkAbout1993 04 06 - Press Journal ArticlePress -Journal •Tuesday, April 6, 1993
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Grant •Micco-little Hollywood •Barefoot'Bay *Sebastian Wellsmere -Obseland
Pi ue. ate;r S.yst`V'_.___11
emic,a. s a
By ADZC=Zerite'r
- Vero Beach's solution to its: on all systems :and may ever
Press -.To , :;>•: THM problem- was "ammonia- lower the maximum allowed 1'eve,
}:•rY:.1 h •• ;•J:{,•f,. y::y`::•, •i •'•' •'r :x., •{.:.fi::{v :; the injection ofam 20 percent.
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It all started 2 years ago with :a r�;..r=::{; :{:: h': tion" —m'o a by
;: fir:. ?:: Lr:•::•: •.}r.LL ::: .; v:.• r}' ,:•.}
Y::. {:.•:• •••: •. , •�h\;:•{ i ::'{•:'ley;}
little sen water and a sus i- into the. raw groundwater. The
on something' -was wrong —' se- { w;° �'' ::if -'''{ °'�''J " ' '` " process, used with chlorination, huessler Credited
Q' • •: 1. .{;•r; • {.:1,•� }'.;• � • 1I 11//
oust wrong..y'lrr f> r rf `r ''t< eliminates 'the chlorine -organic
:'Y:•{'{: y?a4,°y{,�:•::=::.':. Votapka and Schuessler's boss
one- would have r•::. {>••••.• • ;l;A l.:{,i;•. Li y{ reaction that creates THMs.
And what no : o �:•• :::.:.;..;:. ,::.:� ;':.. { ,•
yh ;::^i, :::.:.' • :::.,::r.. �,' Mike Galanis; credits Schuessl
:.:{�,;� ,{i:::::::::: r: '=>:::.;,:� L:a:� m costs 9,500 �to$5,000
.town, were. it. not for a. few sim- :: ;;;x llL• {s:>.:::::r: �:.: .:; ,L{V::::; '''`•:: {• The syste $ ,,.
'.`�' L �..{;'.{ ' e. }{' w monthly supply of er shard -headedness ►ith gettinl
le tests is now a' bureaucractic :..:,:., { '..L •Svc>' r:$ >• and requires a m y pp y
••:•?i' Ne. ,:4}{ •'•;•::•:• J{:•:•: :•C• •h•y'}r. f tib:: EPA to consider a rule change.
ni the :•l'1:;;:1:.::h : ,,. , '::< :.::,:• :.:.{.
.:r>.}->::::•:,' ,> : r•:v•'r{ ammonia. At the current volume
yin almost as: chr� c • as �::::••�»�.:: :::::• � �'ef S •�:;: �::•::;ali4s ::, „ ��
::,:. ; ;s ::%::;;+:1'{Y think he got persistent, ' Ga
°r;;::::r{.,•• ::: {: ;� ::; :: f ut 670 000gallons of water
ealth hazard it poses.. :=f.:;•l:.:l:::;•r,;}: r:r• , o about
:�:::....: : ;l:i:.: r�:h :., {;{::Tanis said. "And based on his (ac
l `. .:': `: ,L••,'::::::::• per day ammonia would cost
THMs.{ `:':: : N.�>.::{{{l::•:;
about $40 a month. tions), the EPA is ...'taking
h'y.,,...':.••Ir�:y.r'. y.:i'...•.. ..• .r•..y •
The letters —"the acronym for_{{' K'
:�:::;::{s :•:::.:•
more serious approach.
'aemical
' compounds called triha :r::r�{�.:ri;.;...l;,tiif.}.::{.r•:.1j>?r";::.i.;'{.;':l:.;:.::v>:,';:::'{:i':,
;.:..b..{rrx.,::;..:ly: . {'.,:•;r:.}.k1a:::.;:sY :}:f�ti:.:::J :f;{.:r:{�:.' .::;:�:�':;{.:>::.: ..: .r l>;:'; :-;.2.:
,w .
Schuessler, who shrugs at Gala
methanes have bred confu �:�'Risks QuestionCible nis' theory, downplays 'his role ii4$:{....
,on concern and consternation There are no hard-and-fast the new rule review.
.,.�,°$'r,'.?iytii:iiM1{.;:ji:�;':';`.• }: ; {:::}Y r: r }• : L ;.,.... :;. •>>
iroughout the ,Sebastian .High y: ; { •.:
rules for, calculating the risk in-
s:.}:.r.xf::..:c:. �.::rl;. ..,:;•.:..:>::.�:r:::l. :.• "I'm not, going to pat myself ol
aids. �:::::.:.:::; ; :;<:r:::::::::::,;: {:::{ �s::h• offi-
{ g the back, he said. But it woul
;Y{%:•::�•}:•:•:.:;:l.:l.:•.l�'.�:::r?:1.��:ti::;:� :: :>. al::, volved in consuming. THMs
The et . punds suspected of in ..: rV -; {.� •� ; :;::.,:•:4 : {h ' vials say.
L:�,. '' - y be something if this incident pre
ceasing, the risk of cancer with i•},: ' :
,.�,x;,{ :,,{{• ••{;}:,,,�{{F ::< . ��It's all hypothetical," cipitated a major movement I
show up in •••'].•ti;:• .. .h::;.:r:,•;�.:::Y:::: J... 11{;'i}' C'l:•:::..r.4::: f{• L
ung -term exposure,{ r , •{:•::: �h^
• : { :{r . : ry+•:::ll::.>::;:' y ,<�, : r ::" ' L Schuessler said of the limits: the scientific community:'
rater that flows from the faucets
f 1,200 homes" hooked "
into the � OCT.15,-1990: Complaint ~' - mere do you draw the line?�� Schuessler's persistence has ir,
ieneral Development . Utilities to health department from . EPA estimates a health risk for . oluded five series of THM test:
rater systema Beach Lane residence sparks' anyone ,who drinks two liters of the latest of which was performs
investigation, the eontamiriated water each day last week: Along the way, he's mE
A complaint to county health of -
OCT. 26,1990: First THM' with much resistance
icials in mid-October 1890 in- •..tests taken as a' result of , for 70 years, Joe McNamara,
olved a sick child- ;and green-. • high chlorine levels at -Beach the DER's Orlando office, said. "I haven't.gotten any atta=boys,
he said. "In fact, I've really bee
inted water inside a Beach Lane Lane house., - But the formula does not con-
souse. Tests of the water revealed NJANUARY1991: Test results sider levels of contamination, or castigated." Schuessler said DEl
high copper content. show THM levels at 3:1f2 take into account a host' of nacre- and even some city ofioials lion
"Inadvertently that's how -All times the maximum allowed bles different for each person. snubbed hirh�
Y —bfederal-regulation. A Dec. 8 letter from the EPA to Even Galanis was skeptical.
his basically started," Glenn - N MACH 1992: Pelican Island
Schuessler, assistant director -of. . Elementary oad
pts for bottled U.S. Rep. Jim Bacchus, D -Cocoa, "Initially, I wasn't so sure h
he ' county's EmOQftmental water and later switches to a mits a lack of information. was right," Galanis admitted.
iealth Department, -said. filtration system.. In regard to possible threat to ' But the new rule probably won
He, ordered further tests of the ■MARCH 30,1993: 'Latest THM public health, EPA has not offici- affect the Sebastian Highlanc
nater ' 'and water from several test performed. Results ally established an unreasonable GDU water customer.
►ther houses in the neighborhood. pending. risk to health levels for these Once the • federal goyernmei
those tuts found extremely high THMs," the letter reads. enacts the rule, the state has 7
evels of chlorine, the agent used P °" a"�' � � P�' light of that, Pelican Island. months to follow with .a lar
o disinfect groundwater at ',the rally.' occuring organics in raw Elementary : officials opted for McNamara said. That means
xDU's Filbert Street water plant. groundwater. ,, bottled water, and later installed may be January 1997 before a la
The chlorine apparently,was po- U.S. Environmental Protection a filtration system, to protect the is on the books.
ent enough to corrodethe cheap Agency rules allow up to 100 parts school's 700 -plus students: Sebastian officials hope the cit
topper piping in ' the_ house and per 'billion of THMs. Samples Schuessler, who gets fired up will owns the GDU system mu(
;ausecI the copper- contamination, from GDU's system consistently over the bureaucracy that allows sooner. And -top priority will. l
ichuessler said. score, 2 % to 3 % times - that THMs in. the GDU system, is a bit cleaning it up, City. Manage
But further, tests tarried up amount. more empassioned.. Robb McClary said.
iomething' else, something But EPA's rule currently ap- "It's ridiculous," he said.. "Ei- 4'� most effective way to E
Schuessler said; 1k t is endemic Plies only to systems, with more ther it's a carcinogen or it's not." feet THM controls is through- oi.
than 10,000 customers. Schuessler- But help, in the form of a new purchase," McClary said. Tl
;o many - smaller ''�steri.�s- in the ,
jouthgrn ,half of the:.state that and Richard Votapka, the city's EPA rule, may be on the way. city's utility consultant and GD
iraw.from the'shallow aquifer. new utility director, cant under- New language in the EPA's Dis- officials are expected to me
Trihalomethanes. stand why the EPA won't.regulate infectant and Disinfection By- Thursday to discuss a sale. .
smaller systems like the High-
-1`This. is a problem inherent to lands.products Rule' •,.could cure the Votapka said if negotiations I
those systems," Schuessler said. "Nobody has a reasonable an- THM dilemma for the customers smoothly, the sale could be col
"It's a given." ewer," Votapka said. of smaller ystems. plete by, - mid sumAier, ..with i
THMs form when chlorine, the Cost to smaller systems proba- The new rule, not due until mid- ammonia injection sy4tei41
disinfectant, reacts with natu- bly isn't afactor, he said. 19$5,, imposes a THM threshhold stalled within three ncintl �c�•