After a Year of Warnings, Families Turn to Filters

Last winter, Colleen Annantuonio and her husband started buying bottled water for their family, instead of the water coming out of the faucets at their Milford home.

Colleen was pregnant, they had two girls under age 5, and they didn't want to take a chance that the had told them, through a notice, was present in elevated levels in their water.

A few months of that routine became exhausting. So the family invested in an $800 filter system that protected their kitchen's water, including the line going to the refrigerator.

Last week, after getting their water tested and learning the contaminant level remained well above the permissable amount, they did the whole house, installing a filter system that removes several contaminants and protects all points in the house, including the shower and tub.

While not a cheap solution — the system cost almost $2,000, and was purchased at wholesale through a family friend — the Annantuonios now have peace of mind.

"I've been bathing my newborn with the filtered water," Annantuonio said, of a routine that involved filling the baby's tub water from the small filtered faucet in the kitchen.

"We've been talking about it for months," she said, of the idea of going to a whole-house filter system. When the test results came back, it was the final straw. "Finally, we were like, 'This is crazy'."

The company that installed her family's filter said it has received several calls in recent months from Milford families.

The contaminant is called Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs), and is produced when drinking water that comes from groundwater is disinfected.

According to the state Department of Environmental Protection, which oversees drinking water supplies, the amount of the contaminant allowed for drinking water is 80 parts per billion (ppb).

In Milford, levels in samples taken at six locations in August ranged from a low of 87 ppb to a high of 122.5 ppb, at a site on Countryside Drive, according to a report on the Water Company's site.

Test results for the Annantuonio's water, Colleen said, came back Sept. 12 with a TTHMs level of 110.8 ppb.

The Milford Water Company, a private utility, has offered to reimburse its customers for faucet-mounted and shower-mounted filters if the household has members who have specific medical needs, or who have children or women of child-bearing age, according to manager David Condrey.

"The Company is not offering to credit every home for these purchases but will be reviewing on a case by case basis each request made for the credit," Condrey wrote, in an email.

The Brita filters recommended by the Water Company are available at Lowe's and cost under $30. They remove sediment, as well as cholorine taste and odor, and may remove other contaminants depending on the model, according to a specifications sheet.

The company, he said, is committed to fixing the problems by installing what is called a "carbon sandwich" filter, which should remove the contaminant before it enters the distribution system.

Annantuonio, along with several friends, has organized , to give residents an opportunity to ask independent water experts questions about the Milford water.

The meeting is expected to include a report from the town health agent, who has information on water test results at the Milford Public Schools.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the and will include an opportunity for questions and answers.