Water agency plans meeting on study
CARMICHAELS – Carmichaels Municipal Authority will hold a meeting next month to inform the public about steps it has taken and intends to take to prevent the reoccurrence of high levels of trihalomethane forming in its treated water.
The water authority had asked its engineer, KLH Engineers, to prepare a study on what the authority should do to address problems the authority had in late 2010 and early 2011, when it failed to comply with federal safe drinking water standards for THMs.
The study, completed in January, recommends a number of operational adjustments in the authority’s treatment process to reduce THM levels, several of which have already been implemented.
Recommendations that will require large capital expenditures include installing aeration systems on authority water storage tanks, replacing the filter control system at the plant and installing equipment to allow chlorination of treated water leaving the authority’s tanks.
The authority Monday discussed holding the meeting either April 23 or April 30, depending on when the Carmichaels Area High School auditorium is available.
Engineer Jim Willard said the meeting would give the authority a chance to explain the problem and how the authority is addressing it and, more importantly, answer questions from customers.
Willard also reported he is moving ahead with plans to seek permits from the state Department of Environmental Protection for implementing recommendations of the study involving chlorination of water leaving the authority’s tanks and the tank aeration systems.
The authority is seeking money for the improvements and Willard said funding agencies are more likely to consider a grant application if the authority has permits in hand.
The authority intends to seek funding for the projects, estimated at $500,000, from a number of sources.
One source the authority is investigating is whether changes can be made that would allow the state to distribute Act 13 drilling impact fee revenue directly to an authority instead of providing the funds only to municipalities and counties.
Authority manager Lloyd Richard Authority reported the authority is seeking a buyer for a 300,000 gallon welded steel tank the authority took out of service about 5 or 6 years ago after it built two new tanks.
Willard said he would see if any other authorities his firm provides services to would be interested in the tank.
Richard also reported Atlas Energy will install about 6,000 feet of line for the authority, replacing a private line on the Biddle property off Jacobs Ferry Road. The line will serve about six people, including two new customers for the authority.
The authority agreed to have Strayer Communications, which the authority uses for information technology work, download authority reports and information to the authority’s web site. Richard had reported the authority’s existing Internet service is too slow and Windstream, the provider, will not make upgrades until this summer.