Upcountry
Water Update
Virginia
Tech researcher Dr. Marc Edwards reveals findings in Upcountry
water.
J.M.
Buck
Upcountry
residents trying to combat ongoing presence of bacteria and lead
in their home plumbing were surprised to hear that some of their
problems may stem from use of whole-house filtration systems.
Approximately 150 people gathered Wednesday evening for an informational
meeting hosted by the Upcountry Water Oversight Advisory Committee
(UWOAC) at the Mayor Hannibal Tavares Center in Pukalani. Providing
an update on the Upcountry water saga was award-winning Virginia
Tech researcher Dr. Marc Edwards. Edwards had been hired by the
Department of Water Supply (DWS) to test Upcountry water and determine
the cause of health problems – particularly skin rash –
that had plagued Upcountry residents years.
|
| Virginia
Tech researcher Dr. Marc Edwards tested water in
many homes across Upcountry. He revealed his findings at
a meeting Wednesday night. |
Edwards’
findings were interesting. It was discovered that a potentially
harmful bacteria called Pseudomonis Aeruginosa known
to cause “swimmer’s itch” has been growing in
many homeowners’ water heaters. Pseudomonis was
also detected in a resident’s skin rash by Dr. Lorrin Pang,
director of the Maui branch of the State Department of Health.
Edwards imparted that the water situation in Upcountry Maui is
the first instance of a bacterium other than Legionella
being found in homeowners’ pipes. There are about 8,000
–12,000 deaths from Legionella each year in the
U.S., with a large fraction coming from drinking water.
Many of the Upcountry homes tested had private water storage tanks
that allow chlorine added at the treatment facility to burn off,
or have whole-house filtration systems that remove chlorine before
it enters the home.
In one of the homes tested, there were 100 colony-forming bacterial
units per milliliter – an acceptable level, according to
Edwards. The water was again tested after it sat in the home plumbing,
revealing 100 times more bacterial presence.
“The conclusion is the water was going bad once it got into
the homes,” remarked Edwards.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has no regulations
regarding bacteria in homes. Homeowners must educate themselves
on the best ways to protect themselves and their families from
potentially harmful pathogens in their water.
Edwards recommends installing “source point” filters
in your home, such as Brita tap filters, as opposed to whole house
filtration. If chlorine is removed before water enters the water
heater, a hospitable environment for bacterial growth is created.
“These water heaters are turning into bacteria incubators,”
said Edwards. “We’ve seen it in virtually every system.
You want that chlorine in your lines.”
Another option is to turn your hot water heater up to 140 degrees
Fahrenheit. This will effectively kill any bacteria. In doing
this however, there is danger of scalding, so children must be
monitored when using hot water.
With new EPA-mandated drinking water rules in place, water utilities
around the nation must come into compliance with EPA regulations
within six years. This means many water systems are being forced
to add chemicals whether they want to or not.
“Adding chemicals to the water seems to be the American
way,” said Edwards. He advocates a more progressive approach
to water treatment using a combination of American and more natural
European methods.
Edwards explained bacteria need certain nutrients to multiply.
If phosphorous, nitrogen and organic carbon are not present, bacteria
will not grow. Water in Europe is distributed without chlorination
– they eliminate the food. The American system is to kill
the bacteria with disinfectants.
“Personally, I’m a fan of using both approaches,”
said Edwards. “It’s the best of both worlds.”
Edwards will continue working with DWS and the UWOAC to help re-vamp
the Upcountry water systems and educate the public on maintaining
water quality in their homes.
“The reality is the way the water was treated was what caused
this,” finalized Edwards. “I’m not going to
fool you, I don’t have all the answers. We know it’s
there. They know it’s there.”
Progress is being made, but it looks like there is still a long
row to hoe.
