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Water board looks to Connecticut for solution to discolored water
By Alexander Rich, Staff Writer
Saturday, January 19, 2008 | 1 comment(s)
The Coos Bay-North Bend Water Board is hoping a consulting firm from Connecticut will make manganese complaints a thing of the past.
Ever since 2001, when the Pony Creek Reservoir tripled in size, the Water Board has watched its water take on a yellow hue and an unpleasant taste every summer. The problem is caused by lake stratification. The lowest levels of water lose oxygen, creating an environment where manganese in reservoir beds leachs into solution.
General Manager Rob Schab said the Water Board has tried many approaches over the years, but without success.
At its meeting Thursday, the Water Board accepted a proposal from Ecosystem Consulting Service to examine the problem.
The firm contacted Schab near the end of last summer, when some Water Board customers received water with manganese levels above 0.50 milligrams per liter. Most people can start tasting manganese in water when its concentration is 0.05 milligrams per liter.
“I thought this would be a good group to get their perspective from,” Schab said.
The Water Board agreed, authorizing payment up to $8,200 for Ecosystem to examine existing reservoir data, visit the facility later this winter and provide a recommendation about short-term and long-term solutions. Schab said the group specializes in lake stratification issues and has suggested installing layer aeration equipment. The Water Board previously tried treating water with chlorine, flushing manganese-tainted water from the reservoir at the start of the summer and taking water from different levels of the reservoir.
During the summer, some customers suggested the idea of aeration, but Schab sounded a note of skepticism, citing the potential costs. Costs were still on his mind Thursday, though he expressed a greater willingness to give it a try.
“We will see if that is a cost effective approach,” Schab said.
Ever since 2001, when the Pony Creek Reservoir tripled in size, the Water Board has watched its water take on a yellow hue and an unpleasant taste every summer. The problem is caused by lake stratification. The lowest levels of water lose oxygen, creating an environment where manganese in reservoir beds leachs into solution.
General Manager Rob Schab said the Water Board has tried many approaches over the years, but without success.
At its meeting Thursday, the Water Board accepted a proposal from Ecosystem Consulting Service to examine the problem.
The firm contacted Schab near the end of last summer, when some Water Board customers received water with manganese levels above 0.50 milligrams per liter. Most people can start tasting manganese in water when its concentration is 0.05 milligrams per liter.
“I thought this would be a good group to get their perspective from,” Schab said.
The Water Board agreed, authorizing payment up to $8,200 for Ecosystem to examine existing reservoir data, visit the facility later this winter and provide a recommendation about short-term and long-term solutions. Schab said the group specializes in lake stratification issues and has suggested installing layer aeration equipment. The Water Board previously tried treating water with chlorine, flushing manganese-tainted water from the reservoir at the start of the summer and taking water from different levels of the reservoir.
During the summer, some customers suggested the idea of aeration, but Schab sounded a note of skepticism, citing the potential costs. Costs were still on his mind Thursday, though he expressed a greater willingness to give it a try.
“We will see if that is a cost effective approach,” Schab said.
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