Minutes of Water Commissioners 8/22/13 Meeting

8/22/13

 

The monthly meeting of the Board of Water Commissioners was held at the office at 5 PM with all members present.  Superintendent Chris Wiseman was also present.

The July minutes were approved.

The warrants were signed.

There were no coliform bacteria detects for the month. The Lead and Copper testing program was conducted successfully.

The following information was included in the Superintendent’s report:

PUMPAGE

July Pumpage                2013 – 34,655,000         2012 –  36,019,000

……………There were five service installations in the Cotuit Meadows subdivision.

……………T-Mobile is moving forward with their cellular modifications project at the Main Street tank.

……………Tata & Howard’s contract for the engineering portion of the water main installation on Main Street has been signed by Mr. Wiseman. This main installation will be done in conjunction with the Town’s Main Street rehabilitation project.

……………The road has been cleared in preparation for the new monitoring well installation near Station #5.

Discussion continued on Open Cape fiber Optics in conjunction with the installation of our new security system.  The revised contract will be sent to Attorney Mann for review. The Board asked to have Sean O’Brien, Emergency Preparedness Coordinator for Barnstable County, attend the September meeting for further discussion on Open Cape’s role. The Board asked Mr. Wiseman to contact Weston & Sampson for an estimate to complete the security system upgrade using the fiber optics option.

The inspection report on the West Street tank was reviewed. Mr. Wiseman was asked to obtain prices for the painting project that will take place in FY 2015.

The contract with Tata & Howard to conduct a water audit was signed.  The Board approved this contract at the June meeting.

The Board agreed to hold their meetings at Freedom Hall beginning with their September meeting which will be held on Thursday, the 26th.

Discussion was held on the structural analysis that will be performed on the Main Street tank, during the time that the chemical cleaning is done in September. Mr. Barnicle made a motion to enter into an agreement with Haley & Ward to conduct a structural analysis on the Main Street tank.  The motion was seconded the it was voted unanimously. The Board signed the contract.

The 2013 lien warrant was signed.

Discussion was held on the misinformation that is circulating about the quality of our drinking water following the MCL violation notices that were published in the Cape Cod Times.  Mr. Wiseman was asked to draft an paragraph explaining the EPA and DEP guidelines under which the Department operates.

The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 26, 2013.

The meeting adjourned at 7:05 pm..

 

Respectfully submitted,

Frederick Kiely, Chairman

cc: Prudential Committee

NOTICE

COTUIT WATER DEPARTMENT          DRINKING WATER VIOLATION                 SEPTEMBER 2013

                                           

Our water system recently violated a drinking water standard.  As our customers, you have a right to know what happened and what we did to correct this situation.

From 9/1/13 to 9/18/13 we took fifty-eight (58) samples to test for the presence of coliform bacteria. Three (3) of those samples showed the presence of coliform bacteria.  The standard is that no more than one (1) sample may do so. One (1) sample also showed the presence of E. coli bacteria.

What should I do? 

 If you have specific health concerns, consult your doctor. People with severely compromised immune systems, infants, and some elderly may be at increased risk.  These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.  General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at l (800) 426-4791

What does this mean?

 Total coliform bacteria are generally not harmful themselves. Coliforms are bacteria which are naturally present in the environment and are used as an indicator that other, potentially harmful bacteria may be present.  Fecal coliforms and E. coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes.  Microbes in these wastes can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms.  They may pose a special health risk to infants, young children, some of the elderly and people with severely compromised immune systems. Coliforms and E. coli  bacteria were found in more samples than allowed and this was a warning of potential problems.

Usually, coliforms are a sign that there could be a problem with the treatment or distribution system (pipes).  Whenever we detect coliform bacteria in any sample, we do follow-up testing to see if other bacteria of greater concern, such as fecal coliform or E. coli, are present.  We did find E. coli bacteria in one of our subsequent tests and notified you immediately. Further testing shows that this problem has been resolved.

What happened?  What was done?

 On 9/3/13 eleven (11) samples were taken and one (1) came back positive for total coliform.  On 9/5/13 repeat samples were taken at that location and at designated up and downstream locations.  Two (2) repeat samples came back positive for total coliform and one (1) of those also came back positive for E. coli bacteria.  On 9/6/13, after the Department was notified of the detection of the E. coli bacteria, the DEP was notified, chlorination began and   a “boil water order” was issued to the public. On 9/7/13 three (3) repeat samples and sixteen (16) other samples were taken and all came back negative. On 9/8/13 all nineteen (19) were re-sampled and came back negative. On 9/9/13 DEP lifted the “boil water order.” On 9/16/13 the Department took seven (7) samples  and all came back negative . The Department plans to continue chlorination until at least October 4, 2013.

For more information, please contact Chris Wiseman at 508-428-2687 or at the Cotuit Water Department, located at 4300 Falmouth Road in Cotuit.

Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.

This notice is being posted by the Cotuit Water Department, PWS #4020003,  on September  20, 2013.

 

 

 

 

Agenda for Water Commissioners 9/26/13 Meeting

                                      COTUIT WATER DEPARTMENT    BOARD OF WATER COMMISSIONERS 

                                                   MEETING DATE: Thursday, September 26, 2013 @ 5 PM

                                                                                  FREEDOM HALL

                                                                    976 MAIN ST.    COTUIT, MA

A G E N D A   

1. MINUTES

2. WARRANTS

3. WATER QUALITY

4. SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT

5. OLD BUSINESS

a.  5:30 -Open Cape /Sean O’Brien

b.  Security system

c.  West Street tank

 

E.coli Information Update

E.coli Information Update

The E.coli bacteria that was detected on Friday 9/6/13 was found in one (1) sample taken from the Old Post Road area. It was an isolated sample as all other samples taken that day were clear.  Following DEP guidelines, we took nineteen samples on Saturday and another nineteen on Sunday at various strategic points, including all five wells and the three storage tanks.  All were clear. When DEP reviewed our results as well as chlorine residuals on Monday 9/9/13, the boil order was lifted. We continue to chlorinate as we investigate to try to determine what might have caused this situation to develop.

The Code Red Emergency Notification System, operated by the Barnstable Police , worked very well with call outs on Friday evening, Saturday morning and then again on Monday afternoon with the boil order lift. However, there were some people who were not in the database and therefore not called. Many of those people have now enrolled in the system. But for those of you who have not enrolled, please click on the selection on the left side of this page “EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION” and follow the instructions. There are some glitches in this system that we have noted and we will be bringing them to attention of the police department.

A note about E.coli bacteria: 

E. coli is a sub-group of the fecal coliform bacteria group.  There are many strains of E. coli, most of which are harmless, but some strains can cause illness.  E. coli outbreaks receive much media coverage.  Most outbreaks have been related to food contamination (not water) and are caused by a specific strain of E. coli known as E. coli 0157:H7.  When a drinking water sample is reported as “E coli positive”, it does not mean that this specific strain is present and in fact, it is probably not present.  However, it does indicate recent fecal contamination.  Boiling or treating drinking water with disinfectant destroys all forms of E. coli, including 0157:H7.

 

 

BOIL ORDER UPDATE

BOIL ORDER IS LIFTED   FOR COTUIT RESIDENTS

 

AS OF MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2013,AT 2:30 PM, THE WATER BOIL ORDER HAS BEEN LIFTED.

HOWEVER, THE DEPARTMENT WILL CONTINUE TO CHLORINATE FOR AT LEAST 30 DAYS.

WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE .

 

CHRIS WISEMAN

SUPERINTENDENT

COTUIT WATER DEPARTMENT

BOIL NOTICE

                                             Boil Water Notice

                To all customers of the Cotuit Water Department

                               Located in Cotuit, Massachusetts

BOIL YOUR WATER BEFORE USING

Our water system routinely monitors for the presence of drinking water contaminants to ensure the safety of the water supply.  On September 6, 2013 we were notified that  E. coli was detected in one of our distribution system samples.  While we test more samples and evaluate the water system operation, we are advising our customers to BOIL the water to reduce any potential risk to bacterial or viral contamination.

 

What should you do?

 DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST.

 Bring all water to a rolling boil, let it boil for one (1) minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water.  Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.

Please refer to the attached notice and following information for additional  precautions you can take. This information is also located on the MassDep website:

Consumer Information on Boil Orders http://www.mass.gov/dep/water/drinking/boilordr.htm

Boil Order Frequently Asked Questions http://www.mass.gov/dep/water/drinking/boilfaq.htm

 

Discard any ice, beverages, formula, and uncooked foods that were prepared with water from the public water system on or after September 5, 2013.

 

People with severely compromised immune systems, infants, and some elderly may be at increased risk and should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from EPA’s

Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1 (800) 426-4791www.epa.gov/safewater/hotline

 Food establishments must follow MA DPH procedures and the direction of their local board of health, which may be more stringent than the DPH guide. Ma Department of Public Health – Guidance for Emergency Action Planning for Retail Food Establishments (pg 19)

http://www.mass.gov/Eeohhs2/docs/dph/environmental/foodsafety/emergency_action_plans.pdf

             

Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who

may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes,

schools and businesses).  You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.


What does this mean?

 E. coli is a fecal indicator and it was detected in the distribution system.   Because a fecal indicator was detected the USEPA requires us to provide you with this Notice and the following information on fecal indicators. “Fecal coliforms and E. coli are bacteria  whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes.  Microbes in these wastes can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms.  They may pose a special health risk to infants, young children, some of the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems.”

Coliforms are bacteria which are naturally present in the environment and are used as an indicator that other, potentially-harmful bacteria may be present.  Coliforms were found in more sample than allowed and this was a warning of potential problems.

These symptoms above are not caused only by organisms in drinking water.  If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice. People at increased risk should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.

 

What is being done?

 We are working with law enforcement and the Department of Environmental Protection to investigate/ resolve this issue.  We have begun chlorinating the entire distribution system today, Friday, September 6, 2013.  In addition, we are evaluating all available information and conducting tests to confirm the extent of the contamination of the system.  We will inform you when tests show no bacteria and you no longer need to boil your water.  We anticipate resolving the problem within 48 hours.

For more information, please contact Chris Wiseman at the Cotuit Water Department at 508-428-2687.

PWSID# 4020003   Date Distributed 9/6/13.

 

 

 

 

 

NOTICE

To Cotuit Residents:

Each year the Cotuit Water Department publishes and distributes a Consumer Confidence Report.This report illustrates that our community is supplied with high quality drinking water year after year. This report is mailed to each household and is available at the Water department office.

It has come to our attention that public notices regarding Maximum Contaminant Level Violations recently posted in the Cape Cod Times and on the Cotuit Fire District website have led to some misconceptions about the quality of the drinking water in the Village.

Cotuit’s water system is operated under strict guidelines established and enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The DEP requires that water samples are collected and submitted for analysis on a regular schedule. In the course of a year over 500 tests are conducted to detect a variety of potential contaminants including naturally occurring substances like metals and coliform bacteria.

Coliforms are bacteria that are naturally present in the environment and are used as an indicator that other potentially harmful bacteria, may be present.   Weather, changes in the water flow, tank or main repair work and other situations can easily change the composition of the water and introduce these bacteria.

Because coliform bacteria is classified as an indicator organism, DEP-regulated water systems are permitted to have varying numbers of positive results per month based on the size of the system.  We are a small system and are allowed to have only one (1) positive analysis for coliform bacteria in a month. If we have more than that, though it is not a health concern, it is considered a DEP violation. At that time, an e-coli test is run immediately.  If e-coli were to be detected, the public would be notified immediately, because it is considered a health issue.  Though we have detected coliform bacteria, we have NEVER had a sample test positive for e-coli. Therefore, no immediate notification is mandated or recommended by the DEP. We must, however, post a notice with DEP-mandated language within 30 days of detection.

We work diligently to provide you with the highest quality of water and follow all federal EPA and MA DEP regulations expeditiously. We hope that if there are questions concerning the quality of the drinking water, you will call us to obtain the correct information.

 

Christopher Wiseman

Superintendent , Cotuit Water Department