Following hours of discussion Monday evening, Aqua Ohio officials agreed to a request by Marion City Council to further delay implementing their plan to start using chloramines as a secondary disinfectant at the Marion water plant. The delay will last at least through the next full Council meeting scheduled for June 24, 2013.
Marion City Council members heard from the water company as well as officials from the Ohio EPA, representatives of two environmental activist groups, and residents during a committee meeting and full City Council meeting on Monday, June 10. Much of the discussion was a rehash of previous meetings. You can read stories on those meetings by clicking the following links.
- Water Company Pushes Back Against “Unsafe” Assertions
- City Council Tells Aqua to Wait on New Chemical, Threatens Stiff Fines
- Council Members Question Water Company’s Chemical Change
Ohio EPA – Process is Safe
Officials from the Ohio EPA told Council that their goal is public health. They said that Aqua Ohio went through the required process to get approval for their plan to use chloramine as a secondary disinfectant to achieve the required limiting of harmful byproducts in the water distribution system. The EPA said they are satisfied with the plan and the studies submitted by Aqua Ohio.
Disinfection byproducts are caused when chlorine mixes with bacteria in the water system. According to the EPA, these byproducts have been shown to have connections with several types of cancers and possible reproductive issues. Aqua plans to add a bit of ammonia which will bond with the chlorine to form chloramine. Chloramines form byproducts at a fraction of the rate of straight chlorine.
When asked about concerns over possible pipe degradation, EPA officials said that any treatment process can cause issues with pipes and that is why good plant operators are essential. Water treatment is a very complex process, they said, and operators, including those at Aqua Ohio, are certified by the Ohio EPA to ensure proper water quality control. EPA officials said that in the other systems using chloramine there have been no lead issues, including in a system that has used chloramines for over 40 years. Regardless, frequent testing would take place to ensure that lead levels remain within regulations.
The Ohio EPA agreed with Aqua Ohio’s assertions that if the change to chloramines is not implemented, they will be out of compliance with new, stronger regulations. Once any change is made by Aqua Ohio, the company will be required to complete increased monitoring for chemicals and metals to ensure its safety.
Officials stated that the U.S. EPA has evaluated and studied chloramines and has found that chloramines, if kept within regulated levels, are safe for drinking, bathing, and household chores. They have not found any adverse health effects to humans. Officials stated that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has looked into various claims and have found no correlation between chloramines and health issues.
They said there are currently about 2,000 community water systems across Ohio, but only 3 currently use chloramine. When asked why so few, Ohio EPA officials said that it is a difficult, costly process to get approval. They said that is not necessarily unusual and explained that many processes are just as tightly controlled.
In addition, only about 300 of those community water systems require the elimination of harmful byproducts because of their water source. Water pulled from ground wells tends to have far fewer, if any, organics which are the source of bacteria that forms byproducts. Because the well water in Marion is very “hard,” Aqua Ohio uses water from surface sources. Even so, the Ohio EPA said that Aqua is already removing more organic material than is required.
The Ohio EPA officials stated several times that using chloramine is a safe solution as a secondary disinfectant and that required, on-going testing would ensure that the water in Marion remains safe to the public.
The Ohio EPA officials stated they were not aware of any complaints about chloramines from any Ohio system using the process. In fact, the US EPA says customers actually complain less after the switch to chloramine because of fewer issues with taste and odor.
Out-of-State Groups Speak Against Chloramine Plan
Bob Bowcock, an associate of activist Erin Brocovich, traveled from California to attend the meeting Monday evening. When asked by Councilman Ralph Cumston what would process him to come all this way, Bowcock explained said their group receives over 2,500 requests per week. He said they whittle those down and then argue the merits of each case. Bowcock explained that the fight against chloramines have been going on for about three years and his group is now getting involved because it is an issue they believe they can be the most effective in changing.
Bowcock said the study into alternatives to chloramines was done in October 2011 by Ohio American Water, the previous water company owner, but was not redone by Aqua Ohio. He questioned the cost of the other alternatives cited by Aqua, saying the activated carbon alternative would not cost $13 per customer per month. He said his estimates show a cost of $30 per year per customer. In addition, Bowcock said another benefit to activated granular carbon is that it will remove organic materials like pesticides and pharmaceuticals.
The Ohio EPA officials said that testing shows that the pesticide level in the Marion water supplied by Aqua Ohio is far below the amount regulations allow and is not a concern.
Bowcock stated that a lawsuit had resulted in a “pot of money” that could be used to offset some of the initial infrastructure costs. He also alleged that the EPA is “very close to doing away with chloramines all together,” a statement that was not backed up by the Ohio EPA officials in attendance.
Aqua Ohio President Ed Kolodziej said that his company gathered the cost estimates for the alternatives quickly after the information was requested by local officials. He said when they first saw the $13 cost, they pushed back against the consultant’s claim, but the numbers held up. Even so, Kolodziej said he would be interested in talking with Bowcock about his estimates for activated carbon. To compare, the current plan for chloramine would cost $0.80 per customer per month.
Kolodziej said he thinks Aqua’s estimates might be on the high end and Bowcock’s estimates on the low end. He said that even if the costs fall somewhere in the middle, residents would be right back before council complaining about the rate increases that would come with the change.
Bowcock also told Council that chloramines will cause immediate issues with rubber gaskets.
“It just will,” Bowcock said. “You will have unreported property damage.”
Susan Pickford, Director of the Chloramine Information Center in Pennsylvania, was also in attendance at the City Council meeting on Monday. She claimed that Aqua Ohio may not be out of compliance even without using chloramine. She said that Aqua Ohio has ignored her requests for data that could possibly prove her belief.
Tom Schwing, Aqua Ohio’s Safety and Compliance Officer, responded to Pickford’s claims, saying that someone who is really familiar with the testing would know that the requested data will not be calculated until the fourth quarter of this year.
Pickford also showed pictures of people with various skin conditions that she said were sent to her organization unsolicited. She said that neither doctors nor specialists could diagnose the problems. Pickford said that when the people put their symptoms into an internet search engine they came up with her organization because they had the same symptoms listed on the as being caused by chloramines, something that has never been proven.
One of the examples shared by Pickford was a woman who stated that neither her child nor husband had any similar symptoms.
Pickford admitted that the stories sent to her were not proof of a health concern caused by chloramine, but asked if people have to actually die and lawyers have to start the class action lawsuits before we worry about chloramine.
Schwing agreed with Pickford’s statement that these stories cannot be considered proof. He said that all of the “facts” presented by the activists are simply speculation. He reiterated that, according to the best scientific data available, chloramines are safe.
“We can speculate about what ‘might be,’ but that would only be speculation,” said Schwing.
Residents Express Concerns
Monday’s meetings were attended by several dozen people with some left standing in the back of the room. It appeared that most, but not all, of those in attendance were against the plan of adding chloramine to the water.
One concern has been how chloramines can be removed by residents. The Ohio EPA said there are some filters available, a claim that some in the audience disputed, and said those interested could check with National Sanitation Foundation (NSF). They test and certify drinking water treatment units and systems. You can click here to search available systems.
The Ohio EPA said they are not aware of any states that have banned the use of chloramines, another claim that has been made often over the past few weeks.
One resident expressed an often stated frustration that company officials should have notified the public earlier in the process. She said that with more time, people could have learned more about chloramines and might have been able to calm their fears.
Aqua Ohio has said they discussed the notification at length and decided that if they issued it earlier, those people most affected by the switch would have procrastinated on getting prepared or would have forgotten altogether. Since the U.S. EPA, Ohio EPA, and CDC have all determined that chloramine is not a health hazard, Aqua Ohio said that was never a concern. They said that, by sending a bill insert and a separate letter, they went well beyond the simple one sentence notification on a customer’s bill, which is all that is required by the Ohio EPA.
In response to a resident’s question, Aqua Ohio said there have not been any complete studies done regarding chloramines and skin and respiratory issues.
Marion resident Ed Christian said the issue is not so much about chloramine, but it is about a test of the will of the people. He said the solution, if Aqua starts using chloramine, is for people to simply not pay their water bill.
Another resident asked if there was anything legally that would stop the creation of a new water company to compete with Aqua Ohio. Marion Law Director Mark Russell said he does not know of any legal issues that would stop that process.
Not Everyone Against Chloramine
Sulu Kelley, a Marion resident, said Muncie, Indiana has been using chloramine for 40 years and he has not heard or read one complaint regarding that community. He said that goes to show there is nothing specifically wrong with using chloramine. He also warned that anyone who advocates for a more expensive alternative better never complain about a rate hike again. The cost of the upgrade would be passed onto customers.
Councilman Josh Daniels said he wondered if Aqua Ohio’s letter had stated that ammonia was going to be used, if people would be as fearful because chloramine is a word most people have never heard. He said he talked with a scientist that studies chloramines and said that expert was neutral about the chemical. Daniels said the expert was actually way more concerned about any possible fertilizers getting into the water system.
The audience stirred at his statements, but Daniels stood firm, stating that he has done his research and much of what he found written on the internet against chloramine is obviously “bunk.”
Kolodziej agreed with Daniels and said that when he was a kid, his mom would throw a cup of ammonia into a bucket of water and that “was the smell of cleanliness.” He said it was pungent and stuck around for awhile, but it was better than the other things that were in the water.
“The fear comes from a lack of perspective,” said Kolodziej, explaining that the amount of chloramine in the water system will be very small. Officials have said the amount would be less than two drops from an eye dropper in 13 gallons of water.
Daniels stated that council members, as leaders, have to move past fear and make their decisions based on facts.
Council Asks Aqua for More Time
Following nearly 3 and a half hours of discussion, Councilman Ayers Ratliff asked the question he had posed several times during the evening; will Aqua Ohio hold off for two more weeks before starting the use of chloramine?
Kolodziej said that he appreciates there is lots of passion surrounding the issue, that he remains concerned about being out of compliance with the EPA. Even so, he said part of him was being pulled to wait and hope for the best on the testing and compliance in order to allow the public more time.
But, Kolodziej said, “What I wonder is, what happens in two weeks,” explaining that he feels that “opinions here are unlikely to change.” He also questioned if the people attending Monday’s meetings speak for all of Marion or for Prospect and Caledonia.
Ratliff said that, being City Council, they do represent all the residents of Marion. He said that waiting would be the action of a good corporate citizen of the community and would be a step towards repairing a relationship that was broken when Ohio American Water owned the company, something Aqua has stated they are trying to do.
Kolodziej again stated that he was leaning towards waiting, but wanted to know if there would be work done towards reaching a resolution. He said that regurgitating the same information would not get them anywhere and asked if Council was willing to actively work to combat the “fear issue” in addition to continuing to learn the facts.
As an example of how fear may be driving opinions, Kolodziej said that Aqua Ohio received three complaints alleging adverse affects from chloramine in Marion. Two were about dogs that were experiencing issues and one was about issues suffered by a resident. Kolodziej said residents’ fears are driving them to believe they are being affected by chloramine even though the company is not even using the chemical yet.
In the end, Kolodziej said Aqua Ohio would hold off on using chloramine for another two weeks. That would allow Council to again discuss the issue at their next meeting on Monday, June 24, 2013 at 7:30pm.
In the meantime, Council promised to post notes from all the meetings they have held on the subject of chloramine on the City of Marion website. At the suggestion of a resident, Council will also post information from the EPA about the chemical.
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