| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
 |
Saturday, November 24, 2007 Solution for water arsenic level eyedBelen A solution that would bring two water wells in the City of Belen into compliance with the arsenic rule that lowered the acceptable level of arsenic in drinking water six years ago from 50 parts per billion (ppb) to 10 ppb was presented before the city council Monday night. Robert Fowlie of Molzen-Corbin and Associates, the city's engineering firm, said the two wells affected by the new arsenic rule issued in 2001 by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are Well 6, which serves three customers in the industrial park, and Well 8, which serves the north side of Belen. "Two wells are affected," Fowlie said. "Well No. six is at 22 ppb and well No. eight, is at 11 ppb." Although the City of Belen requested a three-year extension in 2006, the request was denied, and the December deadline to come into compliance is fast approaching. Fowlie said they need to prepare an action plan and the engineering report is the first step. "The second step is an environmental (information) document," Fowlie said. The cost for bringing both wells into compliance is estimated to be approximately $2.175 million with an annual operation and material cost thereafter of about $48,800, mainly for filters and chemicals, in addition to removing the sludge once it's dried. Fowlie said the sludge is a non-hazardous waste that can be taken to the landfill and the arsenic will not leach out of the sludge. Based on the study, Fowlie said installing wellhead treatment filter systems before the water enters the distribution system would lower the arsenic levels to meet the standards on both water wells. "It's been used in California and Arizona - all over the United States," Fowlie said. "It's a tried and true system and has been successful. This technology is used in water treatment all the time, and the EPA approves." While other alternatives were considered, modification to Well 8 to try and seal off the arsenic at the level it is entering the well is not feasible because the study showed the arsenic was entering through all the screen levels. Blending the water with that of another well that is within the maximum level of arsenic allowed is not a viable alternative because of the distance between them and the cost to lay pipe and re-direct and pump the water opposite of what it currently runs. "It would cost well over $2 million for that one well," Fowlie said. When asked by Councilor Terese Ulivarri if they could drill deeper to find cleaner water, Fowlie said their conclusion was that deepening the well would not lower the levels and they would have to drill a new well in a completely different geological area. "To drill a new well and equip it could cost just as much as treatment," Fowlie said. "You just don't know (what the levels could be). It's a crap shoot." He went on to say that the city could pursue funding for the federal mandate through the legislature or through a loan. The city has put the arsenic removal as its No. 1 priority on their legislative priorities when requesting funding from the legislature. In other action, the council:
Savilla said the costs for medical care used to be taken care of by the county and the costs could be quite costly for the city. Savilla went on to say since the county took care of the costs before, she didn't have an itemized report of previous medical or psychological treatment costs specific to Belen detainees. "It's hard to know what the costs could be," she said. City Attorney Norman McDonald said the agreement was drafted by the county. He didn't know how negotiable it was, but the medical costs are open ended and there is no way to predict the costs. "The per day rate is reasonable," McDonald said.
"It will allow us to take what we have in the office to the field so we can get specific and detailed information," Planning and Zoning Director Andrew DiCamillo said. DiCamillo said some of the grant money will be used for the 2008 aerial fly-over mapping. He said they can also gather data on the septic systems that run through the city and county. "It's powerful technology," Gleason said. "It can allow you to do emergency response, and the planning activities are virtually unlimited."
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
