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Archive for November, 2010

The Park City Problem

November 17, 2010 @ 8:33 am
posted by Greg Reyneke

Park City is a pristine mountain resort town, however the water there has issues…Originally founded as an informal mining settlement in the 19th century, Park City slowly grew as a sleepy community until discovered by skiing enthusiasts in the 1920′s. Park City’s focus slowly shifted from mining to sports, recreation, and tourism. Park City’s crowning achievement was hosting te 2002 Winter Olympic Games, which attracted more residents to this beautiful area. As with all Utah towns, the availability of good, clean drinking water can be problematic. Most of the groundwater in this area contains metals and mining byproducts. Lead, mercury, arsenic, zinc, copper and other miscreants frequently show up in water quality testing. As with any city, Park City water managers work tirelessly with the budgets and staff that they have to provide residents with the very best water quality possible. Unfortunately, problems can occur, either from ingress of high contaminant levels, or acidic water sources causing leaching of old accumulated contaminants. In this most recent incident, it appears that a change to surface water precipitated leaching of old contaminants into the distribution network, exposing consumers to massive amounts of inorganic contaminants. Once again, this reinforces the need for residents to protect themselves with proper softening, conditioning, filtration, and purification technologies like ion-exchange, catalysis, carbon adsorption, nanofiltration, ultrafiltration, and reverse osmosis as recommended by their local certified water specialist.

Mercury detected in Park City’s drinking water as troubles continue

It was found in neighborhoods where discolored water has been a problem
Posted: 11/16/2010 05:00:46 PM MST

Tests on drinking water in several Park City neighborhoods on Sunday found the level of mercury topped federal standards, the first time mercury has been detected in water from City Hall’s underground sources since at least 2003.

The discovery, reported by City Hall on late Monday, was made as water officials continued to probe the cause of a recent spell of discolored water. Tests in the last 10 days have found elevated levels of other contaminants like arsenic, manganese and thallium.

According to City Hall, mercury levels ranged from between three parts per billion and 16 parts per billion. Drinking-water standards call for mercury levels to be limited to two parts per billion.

The mercury was found in the same neighborhoods where the discolored water was discovered, according to Kathy Lundborg, City Hall’s water manager. The neighborhoods are Thaynes Canyon, Aspen Springs, Saddle View, Iron Canyon and Park City Mountain Resort.

Lundborg said people who drink water that contains mercury are susceptible to “short-term risks.” The neighborhoods where the mercury was found in the water were under an advisory to not drink tap water based on the discoloring when the mercury was discovered, meaning that the number of people who ingested the mercury could be very small. City Hall has been distributing bottled water since the discoloring was reported.

Lundborg said people in the neighborhoods are able to take showers at their residences, but she advises them not to drink water from the shower. She said people should not be concerned about washing dishes with the water.

The EPA says people exposed to mercury above the standards for a short time could suffer kidney damage.

City Hall collected approximately 20 water samples throughout Park City on Monday for testing based on the mercury discovery. Lundborg said she expected results will likely be available on Wednesday. There is no reason to believe the mercury will be found elsewhere, she said.

The type of mercury that was found, labeled as inorganic mercury, is different than the type that is found in thermometers and some seafood.

Officials early in the week were considering several theories that could explain the appearance of the mercury. One of the theories involves a recent changeover in the drinking-water sources.

Lundborg said City Hall recently stopped using water from the Spiro Tunnel as Park City Mountain Resort fired up its snow-making equipment using Spiro Tunnel water. Instead, City Hall is putting more water into the drinking-water system from the Judge Tunnel and Thiriot Springs sources.

The water from Thiriot Springs is more corrosive than the Spiro Tunnel water and could be dissolving buildup containing mercury into the water from the surface of the pipes, Lundborg said. The changeover in the water sources occurs annually, but Lundborg theorizes the Thiriot Springs water may have become more corrosive.

City Hall continues to provide updates about the water system on its website, www.parkcity.org.

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Veteran’s day

November 11, 2010 @ 3:28 pm
posted by Greg Reyneke
THE FINAL  INSPECTION
The Soldier stood and faced God,  Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining,  Just as brightly as his brass.
‘Step forward now,Soldier ,  How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?  To My Church have you been true?’

The soldier squared his shoulders and said,  ’No, Lord, I guess I ain’t.
Because those of us who carry guns,  Can’t always be a saint.
I’ve had to work most Sundays,  And at times my talk was tough.
And sometimes I’ve been violent,  Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny, That wasn’t mine to keep… Though I worked a lot of overtime,  When the bills got just too steep.   And I never passed a cry for help, Though at times I shook with fear.. And sometimes, God, forgive me,  I’ve wept unmanly tears.

I know I don’t deserve a place, Among the people here. They never wanted me around,  Except to calm their fears   If you’ve a place for me here, Lord, It needn’t be so grand. I never expected or had too much,  But if you don’t, I’ll understand.   There was a silence all around the throne, Where the saints had often trod. As the Soldier waited quietly, For the judgment of his God.   ‘Step forward now, you Soldier, You’ve borne your burdens well.Walk peacefully on Heaven’s streets,  You’ve done your time in Hell.’

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Who can you trust to protect your water?

November 2, 2010 @ 2:32 pm
posted by Greg Reyneke

I read this article and was stunned at how easily mistakes happen that can kill people!  This is a tragic event that certainly is a grim reminder to us all…We can’t trust local, state, or national governments to protect us from everything all the time. Utilities do the very best job that they can with the budgets that they have, but the onus is still on us as individuals to protect ourselves and our families. Minimum standards aren’t good enough for me, and they certainly shouldn’t be good enough for you!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1325747/Driver-admits-poisoned-water-supply-20k-homes-Camelford.html

Driver admits he ‘poisoned’ water supply to 20,000 homes

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 8:38 AM on 2nd November 2010

Inquest: Carole Cross was found to have abnormal levels of aluminium in her brain after drinking the polluted water in Camelford, CornwallInquest: Carole Cross was found to have abnormal levels of aluminium in her brain after drinking the polluted water in Camelford, Cornwall

A delivery driver told an inquest yesterday that he mistakenly dumped 20 tons of aluminium sulphate into the wrong tank at a water treatment works, causing Britain’s worst mass poisoning.

Relief driver John Stephens said he let himself into the Lowermoor treatment works, near Camelford, north Cornwall.

When no one from the South West Water Authority, which ran the works, turned up, he opened what he thought was the correct manhole and emptied his tank.

His error affected water supplied to about 20,000 homes, causing rashes, diarrhoea, mouth ulcers and other health problems.

The water became so polluted that customers reported hairs sticking to their bodies ‘like superglue’ as they got out of the bath, the inquest at Shire Hall, Taunton, was told.

People who rang the water authority switchboard were told the water was safe to drink and some were even advised to boil it, which increased levels of aluminium still further.

They were only told three weeks later that something had been added accidentally to the water.

The reopened inquest follows the death 16 years after the 1988 incident of Carole Cross, 59.

She had been living in Camelford at the time of the poisoning of the water.

The coroner said in 2005 that Mrs Cross had a neurological disease ‘usually associated with Alzheimer’s’.

But an ‘abnormally high level of aluminium’ in her brain may have resulted from her exposure to the metal following the incident.

At that time, the inquest was adjourned until further research was completed.

Pollution: Lowermoor Water Treatment Works in Camelford, Cornwall where the heavy metals were dumpedPollution: Lowermoor Water Treatment Works in Camelford, Cornwall where the heavy metals were dumped

A draft report into the incident, published in 2005, said it was unlikely the chemical would have caused any persistent or delayed health effects. A committee is expected to finalise the report following the coroner’s ruling.

Mrs Cross’s husband Doug, a scientist and long-term Lowermoor campaigner, now of Cumbria, is due to give evidence on Thursday.

The inquest was adjourned until tomorrow.

In 1991, the South West Water Authority was fined £10,000 with £25,000 costs after being convicted of supplying water likely to endanger public health.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1325747/Driver-admits-poisoned-water-supply-20k-homes-Camelford.html#ixzz149nHTtsT

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