VOCs ruin water, mushroom farm, grower says

CADILLAC, MI, November 26, 2008 (Water Tech) — A mushroom farmer has joined a lawsuit brought by residents here who allege that volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the county landfill are polluting their drinking water, a November 25 Cadillac News story said.

Mushroom grower Donald Alger has found that samples from trees on his land show that the trees are contaminated with four types of VOCs: benzene, toluene, styrene and tetrachloroethylene, according to the article. All four of the compounds are regulated as primary drinking water contaminants.

Alger’s property is located about 1 mile northwest of the Wexford County Landfill. He purchased land in Cedar Creek Township to house his shiitake mushroom operation and has owned property in the township since the 1950s, the story said.

Alger said in the article he now can’t grow the mushrooms because the trees normally serve as living hosts for the fungal organisms. He has joined a civil lawsuit against the county. Plaintiffs in the suit are mostly residents who say the landfill contaminated their drinking water.

Low levels of man-made chemicals in drinking water: USGS

RESTON, VA, December 4, 2008 (Water Tech) — Low levels of certain man-made chemicals remain in some treated drinking water supplies, according to soon-to-be released data from the US Geological Survey (USGS).

According to a USGS media advisory, the USGS conducted studies in Indiana, Texas, Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia, Massachusetts, Oregon, Nevada and Colorado. Water from nine selected rivers, used as sources for public water systems, was analyzed in the USGS study. Scientists tested water samples for commonly used chemicals, including pesticides, solvents, gasoline hydrocarbons, personal care products, disinfection byproducts and manufacturing additives.

Scientists found that low levels of certain man-made chemicals remain in public water supplies after the water has been treated in selected communities.

Most of the man-made chemicals assessed are not required to be monitored, regulated or removed from water treatment facilities, the USGS stated.

High arsenic levels keep AK Culligan busy

KENAI, AK, December 4, 2008 (Water Tech) — High levels of naturally occurring arsenic here now are causing problems for residents who draw their drinking water from private wells, according to a December 4 Peninsula Clarion article. Meanwhile, the article noted, a local water treatment dealership is getting more calls about the substance.

In October 2007, high levels of arsenic in two municipal wells forced the city to drill two new wells. Susan Bulkow, a regional drinking water program coordinator for the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, said at the time, as WaterTech Online™ reported, “Anyone with a well on the Kenai Peninsula has the potential to have arsenic in the water.”

Now homeowners who rely on private wells are being reminded to test their well water for the presence of arsenic. Mike Polocz, a water treatment specialist with a local Culligan dealership, told the Peninsula Clarion that his business has been receiving more calls weekly for arsenic testing, which costs about $25. New wells are being tested for free through March, Polocz said.

According to Polocz, the tests have been revealing some high levels of arsenic. In one homeowner’s well, arsenic levels were found at 70 parts per billion (ppb). The federal maximum contaminant level for arsenic is 10 ppb.

Once the arsenic is detected, it can be removed by an iron oxide media filter and reverse osmosis, Poloxcz said in the article. He added that iron oxide filters also will trap some iron and some tannins, also common in central Kenai Peninsula water supplies.

Multi-Pure Commentary:
Multi-Pure’s MP880 Series has been certified by NSF International, under Standard 53, to reduce Arsenic V.

MA town readies to supply perchlorate-free water

WESTFORD, MA, December 8, 2008 (Water Tech) — Perchlorate contamination issues, which have plagued some residents here since 2004, are closer to resolution now that the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has agreed to fund a new waterline to deliver perchlorate-free water to affected homes, the Westford Eagle reported on December 5.

Richard Cote, a consultant hired by the town and the state DEP, told the Board of Selectmen on December 2 that the contract for the waterline went out to bid after the DEP agreed to fund the project. Construction on the waterline may begin this week.

Selectmen also approved the construction of two wells that will be equipped with technology to remove perchlorate from water, the article said. DEP has not yet decided to fund this project.

PA court decision paves way for chloramine use

HARRISBURG, PA, December 11, 2008 (Water Tech) — A Pennsylvania court on December 10 upheld an Environmental Hearing Board decision on an appeal that paves the way for Pennsylvania American Water Co. to use chloramines as a drinking water disinfectant and affirms that the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) provided sufficient notice to the public on the matter, according to a DEP press release.

DEP issued four permits to Pennsylvania American Water to build and operate new and modified water treatment facilities in Silver Spring Township, Cumberland County and Fairview Township, York County, between March 2004 and March 2006 that would use chloramines, a chlorine and ammonia combination, as a disinfectant within the distribution system.

The department published two permit application notices and four permit issuance notices in the Pennsylvania Bulletin between July 2003 and April 2006, according to the release.

Multi-Pure Commentary:
Multi-Pure Drinking Water Systems have been certified by NSF International, under Standard 42, to reduce Chloramine.

L.A. schools begin big lead sampling program

LOS ANGELES, December 11, 2008 (Water Tech) — Each of the 800 schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) now is being tested for levels of lead in water from school drinking fountains, NBC Los Angeles reported on December 10.

The recent sampling stems from a finding of lead in the water from an elementary school drinking water fountain in April. At that time, it was reported that there were concerns that the problem was more widespread, as WaterTech Online™ reported.

NBC Los Angeles, which is crediting its reporter Joel Grover for prodding the school district superintendent about the sampling program, reported that concerns about aging pipes and fountains leaching lead into the drinking water is the reason every source of drinking water at every Los Angeles school now is being tested.

District officials said they hope to complete the sampling program within the next four months. When results are in, the school district said it will determine its course of action about pipe and fountain replacement.