Monday, October 20th, 2008
There's proof - Celina water meets EPA rules
By William Kincaid
City officials are happy with the third quarter test results of the city's drinking water - proof that the new addition to the water treatment plant is working as intended, Safety Service Director Jeff Hazel said.
Test results from Aug. 18 indicate the city's drinking water now is compliant with state law and below the state's level of trihalomethanes (THMs) allowed in water.
"We are very excited about the results," Hazel said this morning.
The maximum level of THMs, which lab tests have linked to some forms of cancer and other diseases, in drinking water is 0.08 milligrams per liter, according to Ohio EPA standards.
In August, the city's drinking water was found to have 0.043 milligrams per liter - well below the legal limit and the last quarterly reading.
The quarterly reading taken in May showed a THM level of 0.233 milligrams per liter, which was taken before the city's new granular activated carbon (GAC) facility was operational. The quarters prior to that had levels of 0.145 and 0.264.
The new $6 million water filtration system at the site of the former Blue Goose was fully operational on July 21.
The facility's eight tanks each contain 40,000 pounds of carbon that absorb the organic content in the city water drawn from Grand Lake. The goal is to reduce the organic material, which reacts with chlorine over time to form THMs
Since Jan. 1 a debt assessment fee to pay for the new GAC treatment facility has been added to all water bills. The fee ranges from $6.66 a month for residents inside the city, up to $93.18 a month for those with larger water lines outside the city. The assessment goes into an account to pay off the 20-year, $6.3 million debt to build the GAC facility.
