VALLEY VIEW — Hegins-Hubley Authority released its Consumer Confidence Report on Monday, showing no water contaminant violations according to state and federal law.
The authority also approved a 2.5 percent pay increase for its two, full-time employees, a pay hike to $12 per hour for its current part-time laborer and it agreed to hire another part-time worker.
Manager Demetrius Kasmari said the water monitoring for the report was for the period of Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2015. The water source is from six wells and one spring located at the foot of Goodspring Mountain on the south side of Pine Creek in the Mauch Chunk aquifer.
The state allows the authority to monitor for some contaminants less than once per year, he said, because the concentrations of these contaminants do not change frequently. Some of the data is from prior years, in accordance with the Safe Drinking Water Act, he said. It was also noted that some of the data is in parts per million and some in parts per billion.
Kasmari said the authority does not add fluoride to its system; however, there was a 0.495 ppm level detected. Fluoride occurs as erosion of natural deposits, he said. The maximum contaminant level for fluoride is 2. There was also 3.8 ppb of arsenic detected. The MCL of arsenic allowable in drinking water is 10. Arsenic can also come from the erosion of natural deposits, runoff from orchards and runoff from glass and electronics production wastes.
Lead and copper were not at a concentration level requiring action, the report showed.
The report also listed detectable amounts of nitrate, trihalomethanes, combined uranium, barium, haloacetic acids, chlorine and radium.
“Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk,” the report states.
The Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Environmental Protection prescribe regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems.
Kasmari said that the lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. Hegins-Hubley Authority is responsible for providing high quality drinking water but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components, he said.
Kasmari said users can minimize their potential for lead exposure by flushing the tap for 30 seconds to two minutes before using water for drinking or cooking.
Every three years, the authority does its sampling for lead and copper. This June, Kasmari said, the authority would be conducting lead and copper sampling again.
Anyone with questions on the report can call the authority office at 570-682-3228 or to read the complete report, visit www.heginshubleyauthority.com.
In his manager report, Kasmari also noted that there was 19 percent of the water unaccounted for in the system, which was something that would be continuously investigated.
All board members were present. They were Clark Romberger, chairman; Kenneth Richter, vice chairman; Debra Martz, secretary/treasurer; members, Keith Masser, Donald Stutzman, Thomas Miller and Kris Wetzel, and members emeritus, Robert Klinger and Fred Bowman.
The board entered into a 30-minute executive session to discuss personnel.
Kasmari said three applicants had applied for the authority’s part-time position. The board unanimously approved hiring Brandon Zimmerman, a Bloomsburg University geo-science graduate, for up to 25 hours per week at $10 per hour.
Kasmari also announced the authority would like to continue with its meter replacements. About 64 percent of the meters have already been replaced with newer models. About 175 more meters are anticipated to be put in this year. Kasmari said the meters are put in at no cost to the property owner. Anyone interested in scheduling an appointment time for a meter replacement can call the authority office.
In other business, the board heard a report from Business Manager Stacy L. Andracchio for the nine-month period from July 1, 2015, to March 31, 2016. She said net operating revenues were $6,200 under budget and operating expenses were $44,600 under budget. This resulted in a net income of $132,282 for the nine-month period, which was $45,127 over the budget estimate of $87,155. According to Andracchio, for the quarter, the average monthly bill for a Hegins Township customer was $27.14 and for a Hubley Township customer, $44.11.
Under the Human Resources Committee report, solicitor Paul J. Datte, Pottsville, said they “cleaned up” the Policy and Procedure Manual, looking at the legal context and making sure it was legally consistent.
Under new business, Masser’s motion in regard to the fiscal year 2017 budget was unanimously approved to add a contingency line item of 10 percent of the operating expenses to the budget.
The next quarterly meetings will be held at 5 p.m. July 25 and Oct. 24 at the authority office, 915 W. Maple St., Valley View.
The post Hegins-Hubley Authority reports no water contaminant violations appeared first on Fluoride Action Network.
