Portsmouth Water and Fire District Meets Water Quality Standards

PORTSMOUTH WATER AND FIRE DISTRICT
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
1944 East Main Road
P. O. Box 99
Portsmouth, Rhode Island 02871 – 0099
(401) 683-2090
E-mail: info@portsmouthwater.org

NEWS RELEASE

DATE: February 20, 2015

FOR RELEASE: Immediately

CONTACTS: Philip T. Driscoll, Administrative Board Chairman – 683-2090
William J. McGlinn, General Manager and Chief Engineer – 683-2090

Portsmouth

PORTSMOUTH WATER MEETS DRINKING WATER
STANDARDS FOR TOTAL TRIHALOMETHANES

Quarterly water samples collected from February 2014 through November 2014 indicate that the Portsmouth Water and Fire District is in compliance with the state and federal regulations for Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs). For 2014 and prior, TTHM compliance was measured as a four-quarter, running annual average (RAA) of samples from four sites within the water distribution system, with the maximum level set by EPA at 80.0 parts per billion. The RAA for TTHMs in the District’s most recent compliance period was 71.8 parts per billion, which meets the EPA standard.

William J. McGlinn, the General Manager and Chief Engineer for the District, indicated that construction of the new Lawton Valley Water Treatment Plant in Portsmouth made an immediate difference in the TTHM levels. McGlinn indicated that the water quality is measurably improved and the TTHM levels are significantly lower. As an example, the Districts quarterly average in November 2013 was 94.1 parts per billion, whereas in November 2014, with the new treatment process in place, the quarterly average was 24.6 parts per billion.

McGlinn indicated that the timing of the new Lawton Valley Treatment Plant going online was good news for the District and its customers. In September of 2014, the District mailed a notice to customers indicating that it had exceeded the RAA for TTHMs for the period November 2013 through August 2014. The exceedance for that period was based on an RAA of 89.2 parts per billion. McGlinn added that, fortunately, due to the new treatment process, the District was out of compliance only for this one quarter.

McGlinn said that the TTHM standard set by EPA changed beginning with the first quarter in 2015. Under the new standard, called DBPR Stage 2, each of the four distribution system sampling sites must individually comply with the maximum TTHM standard of 80 parts per billion based on a four quarterly locational running average. This change was made by EPA because TTHMs, which form when chlorine reacts with organic matter in the water, increase over time as the water travels away from the treatment plant. This change is intended to ensure that all parts of the distribution system do not exceed the standard of 80 parts per billion. The District’s Stage 2 TTHM results for the first quarter of 2015 range from 27.2 to 47.0 parts per billion for the four sampling sites. McGlinn noted that without the new treatment process, it is unlikely that Aquidneck Island’s three water suppliers would be able to consistently meet the Stage 2 standard.
The water treatment plants project was constructed by the City of Newport. The renovated Station One plant in Newport was put online in August of 2014 while the new Lawton Valley plant was put on-line in the September of 2014. Due to the challenging water quality of the City of Newport’s nine reservoirs, Advanced Water Treatment processes were incorporated into the both water treatment plants in order to assure compliance with drinking water standards, particularly the TTHM standards. The total project cost is $84 million, which is being funded through the water rates of all water users on Aquidneck Island.