THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 25, 1996 TAG: 9609250396
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BATTINTO BATTS JR., STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: 59 lines
Imagine this public safety nightmare: A strange bacteria makes its way into Portsmouth's drinking water, causing an epidemic that sickens thousands.
And the city's public utility department didn't have any warnings or a system to accurately trace where the contamination originated.
The Portsmouth City Council took a step toward preventing such a crisis Tuesday night, approving the purchase of 240 new water quality stations that will closely monitor the city's drinking water where it counts most - where the water is delivered.
The city has been relying on a network of businesses to run their water, take a sample and send it to the city for analysis. But if the business doesn't use much water, what comes out of the tap may not accurately reflect what is being delivered to nearby homes, said Public Utilities Director James Spacek. The new system takes the sample straight out of the system, providing the most accurate and up-to-date information, he said.
The sampling stations will cost the city $223,000 to buy and install. They will improve the city's ability to quickly and accurately determine the source of bacteria in the drinking water, city officials said.
``We have 400 miles of underground pipe. We want to have a fairly good idea of what is going on out there,'' Spacek said.
Although the water is treated at the plant, there is the potential for bacteria to survive the treatment process or for contaminants to enter the water system following the treatment process, said Daniel Horne, engineering field director for the Virginia Department of Health office in Virginia Beach.
The new stations will be the latest upgrade to Portsmouth's 109-year-old water system. The city has already completed $19 million in renovations to its water treatment plant, with another $11 million in renovations planned for later this year, city officials said.
Portsmouth is not the only Hampton Roads city upgrading its water system. Norfolk is spending $90 million and Chesapeake $70 million to upgrade their respective water plants.
``You want to be sure that the product you are getting is a good product,'' Spacek said. ``We haven't had a problem in the past, but the thing you have to realize is that the potential is there. What you try to do is minimize the risk.''
Portsmouth's water originates in a 37,000-acre watershed in Suffolk and Isle of Wight County.
That water flows into four reservoirs: Lake Cohoon, Lake Kilby, Lake Meade and Speights Run Lake - from there it's pumped to the Suffolk plant where it is treated before going to Portsmouth.
The quality of Portsmouth's water is affected by how stormwater and sewage are collected in Suffolk and Isle of Wight, Spacek said.
While Portsmouth has a good relationship with Suffolk and Isle of Wight, it does not control zoning or development in those localities nor does it control what chemicals are transported on the roads that pass over the watershed.
The water sampling stations would be a supplemental line of defense. Each station in Portsmouth will be examined at least once a month, according to state and federal guidelines, Spacek said. Any problem would be reported to the Department of Health, which will determine the severity of the threat to the public, he said.
KEYWORDS: WATER QUALITY PORTSMOUTH PUBLIC UTILITIES DEPARTMENT by CNB