MVSD Getting to odor's cause

If causes are found, future problems can be avoided, the chief engineer said.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
MINERAL RIDGE -- Mahoning Valley Sanitary District officials want to find out what prompts an alga to change the taste and odor of the water.
Although there hasn't been a problem for some time, Tom Holloway, chief engineer at the Salt Springs Road water treatment plant, said employees are interested in finding someone to conduct taste and odor studies of the district's water.
MVSD directors agreed at a meeting Wednesday to accept proposals from companies interested in performing the studies.
In early 1999, MVSD employees discovered a cold-water alga called synura in the water supply. Although the alga is not harmful, Holloway said, it tends to produce a distinct cucumber-type odor and taste.
At that time, the taste and odor of the water supplied by MVSD was affected for about two months.
Although employees of the plant continuously address water quality issues, an outside study may help determine what causes the alga in the water.
"We want to continue to look at what affects the taste and odor of the water," Holloway said.
300,000 customers
The MVSD takes water from the Meander Reservoir and treats it for use as drinking water at the plant. The water district then sells and pumps the water out to its member cities of Youngstown and Niles, who in turn sell it to other communities and customers throughout Mahoning and Trumbull counties. More than 300,000 customers use water from MVSD.
When synura appears in the water supply, Holloway said, it can be treated in the reservoir with copper sulfate, or in the plant with carbon. But finding what triggers the alga to grow in the first place could help employees stop future taste and odor problems.
"We want to find the cause," Holloway said. "We want to be able to put our finger on what causes it, if it's chemical or physical."
Holloway said if the triggers for the alga's growth are found, employees could better head off problems in the future.
"If we know what sets it off, we could take precautionary measures to stop it," he said.
Monitoring algae levels
MVSD directors contracted with Youngstown State University in 2000 to study water in Meander Reservoir and areas around it where water comes in. That study was designed to document normal algae levels for the reservoir, so future problems could be detected faster.
MVSD and YSU extended the contract in late 2002 for continued monitoring of algae levels in the reservoir.
slshaulis@vindy.com