Elevated levels of alum – a chemical compound suspected in last week’s Brier Creek fish kill – were detected at the city of Waynesboro, Ga.’s drinking water filtration plant, which has been closed.
Residents will continue to have water service through two groundwater wells the city uses as its primary water source, City Manager Jerry Coalson said.
The filtration plant, permitted to pump up to 200,000 gallons of surface water per day from the creek, is operated as a secondary source, he said, but will remain closed while engineers determine whether alum found in the plant’s filters caused any damage.
The utilities department had planned to flush the water system last week as part of routine maintenance conducted every six months.
“They had to postpone flushing until they had an opportunity to evaluate the effects on the filtration plant,” Coalson said. “We are still evaluating the effects.”
Alum, or aluminum sulfate, is used in kaolin mining to separate quarried clay from water. Four mining operations upstream of Waynesboro are being inspected by state regulators, said spokesman Kevin Chambers, of Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division.
“We are evaluating water sample results, inspecting facilities and looking at operational data,” he said.
No formal conclusions have been announced.
The Oct. 15 event is believed to have killed thousands of fish along about 18 miles of streams –
a larger area than the initial estimate of 10 miles, said Tonya Bontatibus, the director of Savannah Riverkeeper.
The incident that caused the fish kill is believed to have begun along Reedy Creek, a Brier Creek tributary, she said.
Are there sulfates in the air and water here? I've been having trouble reacting to something all spring, summer and fall, every time I get any nearer to Augusta than Brown Road, Hephzibah when my car windows are rolled down, especially as I approach Bobby Jones on Mike Padgett Hwy.
what about the problem that started up near Harlem on Oct 2/3. I think everything has to be included including processing plants. That should be included too.
i would check water all along the creek and its tributaries.
Are the air, ground and water of the AUG some of our nation's biggest pollutant dumps?
Can you give us more information about the "problem that started up near Harlem on Oct. 2/3," Lily? What problem are you talking about?
Rob Pavey wrote:
Alum, or aluminum sulfate, is used in kaolin mining to separate quarried clay from water.
In the interest of completeness, Rob should have also mentioned that alum is added to the Columbia County Water System water, the City of Augusta Water System water, the City of Waynesboro Water System Brier Creek Filtration Plant, and many other potable water systems around the country.
I'm the closest neighbor to a mining company in Jefferson county. I have lived here for 40 years and have notice a large change in my well water. There is a pink ring around our shower head, toilet boil and washing machines. Our neighbors have the same problems with there water. My wife worked at this company for 30 years. The company took their water fountains and ice machines out and they had bottle water brought in for the employees. They have told employees not to drink their water at this plant. I wish someone would look real close at this plant. I tried to get the EPA to look at a waste water pond that is at this plant but when EPA came by they did not show them that pond but a beautiful clear water pond and told EPA that was the pond.
"There is a pink ring around our shower head, toilet boil and washing machines."
And I thought I just had a dirty shower.
Seriously, that pink stuff that sometimes shows up in bathrooms is caused by an airborne bacteria that has a fancy name.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa grows pink in water and is a bear to eradicate. We deal with it as a contaminant in some of our instrumentation. It takes bleach, H2O2, and ETOH to decontaminate.
Aren't they suspecting something from industrial output out that way to be responsible for some fish kills in streams?
I used to think it had something to do with my urination in the toilet. Thought maybe I had picked up a social disease from one of the girls at my favorite bar. Someone finally explained it wasn't me and I was relieved. I had to lie when I filled out those ads that said "clean and disease free, nonsmoker" for the longest time. But come to find out I wasn't lying at all.
Wow, Vito, it must be fun to mix those three chemicals together!
:-)
Lots and lots of flushing in between I can assure you! Bleach and peroxide are a nasty combo. Alcohol softens the bacteria's capsule for the bleach to penetrate, bleach kills it, then the peroxide eats up the leftover protein residue.
Just a footnote, we had to stop using commercially available bleach several years ago because they increased the sodium hypochlorite concentration along with the surfactants. That stuff is almost impossible to flush out once it coats the hydro lines and components.
Cept George please call me, my cell is 706 755-4839. This is Tonya Bonitatibus, Savannah Riverkeeper. Most likely your well problem stems from an over acidity in your well due to the acidic nature to their chemicals used on the plant.
First the lower Ogeechee, now this. Some great fishing destroyed and probably won't ever be the same. Next up, the upper Ogeechee.I hope we figure out a way to eat and drink that money.
Man, you get that pink stuff when you like me are too lazy to clean the toilet, shower and even the sink!! LOL!!
Littlelamb, look back in archives. There was a reported spotting of white water which was up around dearing GA then spotted not far from where the fish kill site was the next day.There was a kaolin spill on the Roadway in Mcduffie county recently. It was on briar creek which is upstream from the recent kill. White water meant there was a runoff or whatever from kaolin mines. There is fine examples in england of this happening.
So, Lily, you're hinting that a kaolin spill into a creek is responsible for the fish kill, while the EPD and the Savannah Riverkeeper organization is saying the likely culprit is low pH caused by alum. Well, who knows? The investigation is still going on, but it is petering out.
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