Preble NY water contaminated! 6/10/02

IS PREBLE'S DRINKING WATER CONTAMINATED?
(Scroll down for update 6/11/2)
(Scroll down for YAU (Yet Another Update) 6/13/2)

Preble Supervisor Betty Pitman and board member Linette Currie said at Monday night's town board meeting. (6/10/02)

Pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children should NOT drink the water until it is tested and proven safe.
EVERYBODY should have his or her water tested immediately!
Drink bottled water until you know if it is safe to drink your own!

The contamination is nitrates, which is known to cause sickness in infants and toddlers. (I put some detailed information from the web at the bottom of this page.)

According to Pitman this started in March when both trailer parks (McBride and Mountain View) water was found to have dangerously high concentrations of nitrates. 13.9 PPM at the south end of town and 11.6 PPM north at the Tully trailer park. 10 PPM and above is considered very bad. In May Cortland tested 40 or so wells around Preble to try to determine the extent of the contamination. Just a few days ago samples were taken from Song Lake. Apparently more testing is still being done. I'll be making some calls on Tuesday to try to find out more and I'll report what I find here. No pattern has been found so far that would pinpoint the source of the contamination.

Betty and Linette suggest water testing and buying bottled water. Some wells across the street from each other have different results. Depth of a well was not known in many cases so that couldn't be factored in.

After Betty and Linette made the announcement to the few of us at the meeting no mention was made of any plans the town board had about warning the rest of the people of Preble of this danger. Perhaps they are depending on this web site to do that. If that is the case then please print this out and give it to your neighbors who do not have web access or who do not read this site. Perhaps the town board will be doing something to warn the people, and I sure hope they do, but if not please help by spreading the word.

Frank Hogg
6/10/02

Update: 6/11/2

I talked to a number of people today about this issue but I have more calls to make before I can go into it more. I did get the information from Buck Labs about getting your well water tested. Everyone with his or her own well should have it tested on a yearly basis. (I don't know anybody who actually does this but the thought is nice.) There have been some changes in the way manure has been spread on some fields and if your well is near one of these fields you may want to consider testing your water. Definitely if you have young toddlers or older folk living with you. Hopefully I will have talked to everyone I need to talk too on Wednesday and will be able to give you more information tomorrow. In the meantime here is the information from Buck Labs.

Frank Hogg

BUCK ENVIRONMENTAL LABORATORIES INC
3821 BUCK DRIVE (That's their driveway)
CORTLAND NY 13045

(607)753-3403

Directions: from Route 11 1 mile south of Port Watson Street Bridge.

From 81 exit 10 go towards Cortland on route 11, 1/2 mile turn or bear left but stay on 11 another 1/4 mile for a total of 3/4 mile)

For a nitrate test you need a hard clean plastic container for the sample and you must get it to the lab within 24 hours of taking the sample. They will provide a container if you stop by their lab. Nitrate test is $15 and the report usually takes a week. If you have questions call Pam or Barb.

All private well owners should do a coliform bacteria test. If it tests clean then your well water is safe. If not then they look for eColi. This test should be done whenever there is a change to the plumbing or some other outside thing that may affect the well. And it should be done on a yearly basis for any private well owner. If you notice a smell or taste difference in your water then you should have it tested. The coliform test costs $20. You need a special container for the coliform test that has to be sterile and have a preservative in it. Best to get that from Buck for that test.

Treatment for coliform is simple. Chlorine is used to 'shock'the well. I remember putting Clorox in my well when it was first drilled to 'clean'it. That was 13 years ago.

Any of these containers are available from Buck.

Please call Pam or Barb if you have any questions.

YAU (Yet Another Update) 6/13/2

I've talked to several people in many agencies about the subject of high nitrate contaminated wells in Preble. I now 'think' I have the info we are all looking for.

Should you have your well tested?

YES! Unless you know for sure your water is ok then have it tested. Of the 46 wells tested in May 10 had high nitrates. That is better than 1 in 5. Your potential risk is greater under the following circumstances.

Your well is in the 'hot spot', which is just south of the center of town but north of Little York Lake.
Your well is more towards the center of the valley. Wells closer to the mountain fared better.
Your well is shallow. The shallower it is the greater the risk.
You don't live near a lake. Lakes tend to absorb or dilute nitrate and wells near lakes fared better. Last fall Song Lake measured at 0.05 almost too low to measure. Song Mountains well measured 1.5 or so. Camp Hoover was also low.

A personal note: I live in the cove on Song Lake, far from any farm fields and my neighbors are not close. My well and septic system are fairly new and my well is deeper than the lake. The chance that my water is contaminated is very slim. Therefore I AM going to have my water tested because despite all this, I still want to know for sure.

Where are the ten wells that are contaminated?

Five are residential wells and that information is private. However, you may call Betty Pitman and she will tell you if you are close to one of them. Three of them are at the trailer parks, one at Saulsbury and one at Mountain View Restaurant. However wells across the street from one another have tested different so the only way to know for sure is to have your well tested.

Where did this nitrate come from?

That's the billion-dollar question. The general opinion from the experts is that it comes from Ag. This is, after all, a farm community. This is not a problem specific to Preble. It happens all across the country and the problem is being studied. One theory is that liquid manure may be the culprit and a method exists to test the nitrate to see how 'old' it is. The reason is to see if it comes from old manure or newer liquid manure. A number of people are working on this problem. But Ag may not be the only source or the main one. Human waste also produces nitrate and you own septic system may be the culprit. Do you know where you septic system is or how big it is? Many old systems were little more than a 55-gallon oil drum set in the ground. In order for a system to work properly it has to be emptied every few years. When did you last have that done? The point is that we can't jump to conclusions until we have all the facts and the only fact we have right now is that 20% of the wells tested so far are contaminated. We have to test more and study this problem to find out the cause and make the best decision about how to address it. It isn't going away any time soon.

The temporary cure is to drink and cook with bottled water. It is readily available and not too costly. The best way to 'clean' the contaminated water is with a Reverse Osmosis water filter. A quick search on the web indicated a cost of about $1 per day, which is cheaper than buying bottled water by a bit. If it turns out it is your well, (not deep enough or too close to your septic system) a new well could be drilled if the 'experts' think that will solve it. The point is that this is a problem that has been building for the last 10 or 20 years and we will be living with it for the foreseeable future. There is no quick fix and there is no cheap fix.

The heck with it, I'm going to take the risk and drink my contaminated water!

If that is what you decide to do then you need to know what your risks are. The EPA has a brochure on nitrates in water and would be good reading for you. Perhaps your water tested just a bit high or you have other reasons. In any case an informed decision is always the best way to go. Here is the EPA web site on the subject of nitrates in drinking water.

http://www.epa.gov/safewater/dwh/c-ioc/nitrates.html

This is ironic for those of us who worked for years to keep Flying J out and to protect our precious water. Now this happens. Life sure is strange isn't it?

Frank Hogg 6/13/2

The first of two pieces of information I got from the web. I'll get a better explanation of the situation later.

Agricultural fertilizers are the main source of nitrate in ground water.

Man-made fertilizers became widely available after World War II and quickly came into use across the Nation. Today, nitrogen fertilizers (commonly nitrate or ammonium compounds) are used in large quantity in most agricultural settings.

Human Health Effects of Nitrate

A June 1995 Washington State Department of Health Fact Sheet states:

Health impacts: High levels of nitrate in drinking water can cause a potentially fatal blood disorder called methemoglobinemia. Although methemoglobinemia can affect any age, nitrate contaminated water principally causes this illness in children under six months. Some studies have suggested a possible link between nitrate and cancer and birth defects. These suggestions, however, have not been confirmed.
Methemoglobinemia: In order for nitrate to cause methemoglobinemia or "blue baby disease," it must first be changed in the body into nitrite. Babies less than six months old have a lower stomach acidity, which allows certain bacteria to grow in the stomach and intestines that are capable of converting nitrate to nitrite. Nitrite then changes the oxygen carrying hemoglobin to methemoglobin, which does not carry oxygen. . . . Poisonings usually occur when contaminated water is used to prepare infant formula and foods. Boiling water for infant formula is a good practice for killing bacteria, but it will not destroy nitrates.

* * * * * * *

Treatment: If the condition is not life-threatening, no treatment is needed other than a switch to uncontaminated water. The symptoms will improve within two to three days. For severely affected infants, intravenous treatment with methylene blue will convert the methemoglobin back to hemoglobin and bring rapid recovery.
Prevention: Infants under one year of age should not drink water containing nitrate at a concentration greater than the drinking water standard of 10 parts per million (ppm) [or 10 milligrams per liter (mg/L)] as nitrogen. Although no health based standards exist for adult exposures, the following subpopulations may be at risk:
Individuals with reduced gastric acidity,
Individuals with a hereditary lack of methemoglobin reductase, and
Women who are pregnant.

Nitrogen, ammonia, and ammonium fertilizers break down into nitrate.

Nitrate is the form of nitrogen that plants can assimilate.
Nitrogen compounds naturally transform into nitrate.
Nitrate is very water soluble, and so can be transported by water from the land surface into the soil.

High nitrate concentrations may be an indicator of the presence of pesticides.

Pesticides used in conjunction with fertilizers may be carried into ground water in the same way as nitrate. Detection of nitrate in ground water may indicate the presence of pesticides, although a number of additional factors complicate this relationship.
Pesticides in use today contain a wide variety of chemicals. Many others are no longer in use but residues may remain in the soil and in ground water.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for many drinking water contaminants. The MCL is the maximum permissible level of a contaminant in drinking water. The MCLs are drinking water standards which are regulated in public drinking water supplies. Private water supplies are not regulated and the well water quality is the responsibility of the homeowner. Drinking water standards still pertain in that you do not want a contaminant to exceed its MCL.

Secondary Maximum Contaminant Levels (SMCLs) are established for some contaminants as guidelines. In general, these contaminants do not cause health problems, but can cause aesthetic problems (staining of bathroom fixtures, etc.).

Nitrate-N: Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) - 10 milligrams per liter (mg/L) as determined by the EPA. Nitrite-N: MCL - 1.0 mg/L as determined by the EPA. Nitrate/Nitrite-N: MCL - 10 mg/L as determined by the EPA.

Sources

Sources of nitrates include fertilizers, animal and human wastes, and malfunctioning septic systems. Because nitrate is not detectable through the senses, a water test is the only accurate way to identify its presence. A nitrate test should be done at least yearly if livestock facilities, fertilizer storage or handling, septic systems, or other potential nitrogen sources are nearby, and especially if there are sources or activities that occur in the vicinity of the well.

If nitrate concentrations are clearly increasing with time, an effort should be made to define the source of contamination and take remedial measures to eliminate a potential health hazard. If the source of the contamination cannot be located and removed, the well owner can use bottled water for infants.

Presence of Nitrate in Drinking Water

While nitrate is generally not considered harmful to adults and older children, water with excessive nitrate concentration is a health concern for infants and toddlers. High nitrate concentrations can cause methemoglobinemia ('blue baby'syndrome) in human infants and young animals. This condition restricts the flow of oxygen through the blood.

Pregnant and lactating mothers who ingest high nitrate water can pass it to their babies. Cows that drink high nitrate water may produce high nitrate milk.

Nitrates also indicate the possible presence of other more serious residential or agricultural contaminants such as bacteria or pesticides.

Treatment

Nitrate is a very soluble substance and extremely hard to remove. Nitrate removal is only needed for water used for drinking and cooking. The most common methods of reducing or removing nitrate are distillation and reverse osmosis. Anion exchange resin beds can also be used to remove nitrates but can be expensive. For any treatment unit, frequent testing is necessary to determine whether the system is still working effectively.

Boiling water, disinfection, iron removal filters, and water softening will not remove nitrate. Boiling water which contains nitrates only concentrates the nitrate. A new well may be another solution, but this is expensive.

Check back later for more information.

Town of Preble Roster This is a list of names, addresses and phone numbers of Preble officials as maintained by Cortland County.