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KIM LAMB/LVN Photo John Shaw, lead operator for Fallon's water treatment plant, checks controls at the facility on Thursday.
City water works employees say the arsenic level in Fallon's water has dipped below the new Environmental Protection Agency benchmark of 10 parts per billion that goes into effect Jan. 23.
According to John Shaw, the lead operator for both Fallon's arsenic treatment plant and waste water plant, workers calculated Fallon water's arsenic level as low as 6 ppb in December.
Fallon City Engineer Larry White said arsenic has typically been between 8 ppb and 12 ppb in Fallon water during the past year.
Prior to the arsenic treatment plant's April 2004 opening, Fallon water contained naturally-occurring arsenic levels as high as 100 ppb. The city has already had to comply with the current EPA arsenic standard of 50 ppb in drinking water.
According to John Shaw, the lead operator for both Fallon's arsenic treatment plant and waste water plant, workers calculated Fallon water's arsenic level as low as 6 ppb in December.
Fallon City Engineer Larry White said arsenic has typically been between 8 ppb and 12 ppb in Fallon water during the past year.
Prior to the arsenic treatment plant's April 2004 opening, Fallon water contained naturally-occurring arsenic levels as high as 100 ppb. The city has already had to comply with the current EPA arsenic standard of 50 ppb in drinking water.
With the new standard shrinking to 20 percent of the current legal arsenic level, White said he is not worried and anticipates the city will be ready on Jan. 23.
"I'm guessing it's going to be between 8 and 10 (ppb)," White said. "We've had the latitude to make some adjustments."
White and Shaw both said those adjustments include varying the pH and iron levels in the water to make the arsenic filter out more efficiently.
"We have to add iron to coagulate with the arsenic," White said. "In the most basic definition, together they make a big enough particle to filter out."
The challenge White said city officials face is being able to properly maintain the plant while also keeping city residents' water bills at a reasonable amount.
"I'm guessing it's going to be between 8 and 10 (ppb)," White said. "We've had the latitude to make some adjustments."
White and Shaw both said those adjustments include varying the pH and iron levels in the water to make the arsenic filter out more efficiently.
"We have to add iron to coagulate with the arsenic," White said. "In the most basic definition, together they make a big enough particle to filter out."
The challenge White said city officials face is being able to properly maintain the plant while also keeping city residents' water bills at a reasonable amount.
"Obviously, we want to optimize it to be the most efficient we can to keep the price in line," White said.
According to Fallon City Clerk Gary Cordes, city water users currently pay a monthly fee of $20.44, in addition to charges for water consumption, to go toward the city's arsenic treatment plant. Cordes estimated the city earned $1.6 million from that monthly charge during the 2005 fiscal year.
Unfortunately, both Cordes and White said, all of that $1.6 million is forced to be spent each year on the plant for general maintenance.
Considering the $27,500-per-day fine - which equates to a fine of more than $10 million per year - that the city could have faced for having illegally high levels of arsenic in its drinking water, Fallon officials are much happier with the current state of affairs.
According to Fallon City Clerk Gary Cordes, city water users currently pay a monthly fee of $20.44, in addition to charges for water consumption, to go toward the city's arsenic treatment plant. Cordes estimated the city earned $1.6 million from that monthly charge during the 2005 fiscal year.
Unfortunately, both Cordes and White said, all of that $1.6 million is forced to be spent each year on the plant for general maintenance.
Considering the $27,500-per-day fine - which equates to a fine of more than $10 million per year - that the city could have faced for having illegally high levels of arsenic in its drinking water, Fallon officials are much happier with the current state of affairs.
Besides the steep monetary loss that Fallon could have faced with the arsenic levels, the EPAhas claimed the health of residents was at stake.
Although arsenic has never been linked to leukemia, it and tungsten were previously mentioned as possible causes of Fallon's previous childhood cancer cluster. Since 1997, 17 local children have been diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia and three have died. The most recent ALL case was a then-28-month-old boy, who was diagnosed in December 2004.
But with the threat of fines and leukemia diagnoses seemingly behind them, White said officials can now focus on keeping Fallon water's arsenic rate at a legal level - which he said has been a reachable task in the past year.
"We've certainly run below 50 (ppb) in the last year and we've been closer to 10 (ppb)," White said. "We've had the flexibility to give us enough time to figure out what we need to keep it at that level."
Burke Wasson can be contacted at bwasson@lahontanvalleynews.com
Although arsenic has never been linked to leukemia, it and tungsten were previously mentioned as possible causes of Fallon's previous childhood cancer cluster. Since 1997, 17 local children have been diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia and three have died. The most recent ALL case was a then-28-month-old boy, who was diagnosed in December 2004.
But with the threat of fines and leukemia diagnoses seemingly behind them, White said officials can now focus on keeping Fallon water's arsenic rate at a legal level - which he said has been a reachable task in the past year.
"We've certainly run below 50 (ppb) in the last year and we've been closer to 10 (ppb)," White said. "We've had the flexibility to give us enough time to figure out what we need to keep it at that level."
Burke Wasson can be contacted at bwasson@lahontanvalleynews.com
