Boil Alert Lifted; Ends disruption in 11 towns

SATURDAY MORNING ANNOUNCEMENT FROM AQUA OHIO:

The boil water advisory issued by Aqua Ohio (Aqua) for customers in the villages of Poland, Lowellville and New Middletown; the townships of Coitsville, Poland, Boardman, Beaver, Canfield, and Springfield; the City of Struthers in Mahoning County, OH; and Mahoning Township in Lawrence County, PA has been lifted effective Saturday, November 20, 2010. Acceptable bacteria sample results were obtained from sets of samples collected in the distribution system on November 18 and 19, 2010.

A water sample taken on Thursday, November 18, 2010 showed turbidity levels of 1.25 turbidity units. This is above the standard of 1 turbidity unit. Because of the level of turbidity, there was an increased chance that the water might contain disease-causing organisms, and a precautionary boil advisory was issued.

Treatment was corrected promptly to bring the turbidity back below the standard by 8 a.m. on November 18. In consultation with Ohio EPA, samples were collected in the distribution system and delivered to a laboratory for testing.

Test results received today from water samples collected on November 18 and 19, 2010 were clear of any indicator of contamination and, therefore, it is no longer necessary to boil water, or use bottled water, for drinking, cooking, washing food, making ice cubes, or brushing teeth.

Aqua is committed to providing quality water and service to its customers. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience.

Although this matter has been resolved, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact Aqua’s Customer Service at 877.987.2782. Thank you for your cooperation.

ORIGINAL SATURDAY VINDICATOR STORY:

By Elise Franco

efranco@vindy.com

Frank Harmicar of

Poland, 71, had no idea that drinking his morning coffee could be a problem.

He woke up Friday, had coffee and breakfast, took his daily medication, brushed his teeth and washed dishes — all before a neighbor called to let him know about a boil alert.

Aqua Ohio Inc. issued a widespread alert Thursday for its customers in Poland, Lowellville and New Middletown villages; Coitsville, Poland, Boardman, Beaver, Canfield and Springfield townships; and the city of Struthers in Mahoning County; as well as Mahoning Township, Pa.

“This is a concern to me,” Harmicar said. “Water is the main ingredient in our life ... We’re paying for water, for safe water, and it’s just a big mess.”

Harmicar said he and his wife planned to buy a few cases of water to get through the weekend.

“We don’t buy bottled water because we have a filtration system,” he said. “It’s an added expense for us and everyone who has to do that.”

Many local businesses were forced to close or alter daily operations after a water sample taken by Aqua Ohio showed a high level of turbidity or cloudiness. This increases the chance that the water could contain disease-causing organisms, an Aqua news release said. Turbidity can interfere with disinfection and provide a medium for microbial growth, causing symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea and associated headaches.

One restaurant that closed early Friday was Friendly’s in Poland.

Supervisor Kathy Fox said the eatery opened Friday morning, and most customers didn’t seem concerned with the water threat. Fox said she decided to close at about 10 a.m., after receiving a notice from the Mahoning County District Board of Health outlining proper protocol.

“The health department told us in a letter what would need to be done to ensure safety,” she said. “It was either use bottled water or boil the water, and we have no way of boiling our water here.”

Fox said the best option for the staff and customers was to close.

“I would imagine business will be impacted because of this,” she said. “Friday is a busy day.”

Al Sauline, area manager for Aqua’s Struthers division, said the alert should be lifted sometime over the weekend, possibly today.

“Saturday is the best-case scenario,” he said. “We’ve taken some bacterial samples, and there’s a 24-hour incubation period on that, which is our biggest holdup.”

He said local media will be alerted and asked to inform the public when the boil alert is lifted.

Sauline said the problem originated Thursday morning in the filtration system, which is constantly

monitored.

“We got an alarm saying the turbidity exceeded the limit, and we began to treat the problem,” he said.

The turbidity level was only above its limit for about two hours, Sauline said.

“We want to emphasize that this was precautionary,” he said. “We’re working as fast as we can within the guidelines and standard to alleviate the situation.”

Dunkin Donuts coffee shops on U.S. Route 224 and Market Street and Starbucks on 224 were unable to serve beverages to customers.

A sign on the door of Starbucks read: “We are so sorry. Due to a boil alert, we are unable to serve beverages right now ... We can sell pastries, sandwiches and bottled beverages only.”

St. Elizabeth Health Center Boardman Campus also felt the effects.

Roger Farmer, hospital maintenance director, said the hospital’s plan for such an event was carried out successfully Friday.

“Our goal, in this case, was to provide portable water for drinking,” he said. “We have a list of vendors to get a water supply from.”

Farmer said more than 30 one-gallon water jugs and about 40 cases of 24-count bottled water were brought to the hospital for drinking and food preparation.

He said besides getting the safe water to the campus, it was important to keep people from using vending machines that operated with Aqua water.

“We put signs up on the coffee and ice machines and the water fountains,” he said.

Farmer said all staff, patients and visitors are aware of the boil alert.

Not every business in the area had to take precautions, though.

Toyoa Wallace, dental assistant at Allcare Dental in Boardman, said the daily work wasn’t affected because it uses bottled, distilled water every day.

“It didn’t affect our business,” she said. “But we did have to go to three different Dunkin Donuts for our coffee [Friday] morning.”

Boil-alert tips

Aqua Ohio Inc. issued a boil alert Thursday for Poland, Lowellville and New Middletown villages; Coitsville, Poland, Boardman, Beaver, Canfield and Springfield townships; and the city of Struthers in Mahoning County; as well as Mahoning Township, Pa. Residents affected by this alert are asked to boil their water until further notice. Tips:

Let water boil at least one minute.

Even water to be used in a conventional coffee maker should be boiled first.

Use this sanitized water for cooking, drinking, making ice, washing dishes and brushing your teeth. Bottled water can be used in place of tap water.

For more information contact Al Sauline at (330) 727-3371 or visit www.vindy.com for updates on the alert.

Source: Aqua