water task force announces test results and instructions

The Sevier County Rotary Water Task Force distributed 200 test kits May 17 to county residents in an effort to assess well water sanitation throughout the county. The following week 185 kits were returned for evaluation by Microbac Laboratories in Maryville. By now, residents should have received test results in the mail.

The water samples were checked for "total coliform," with results ranging from 0 parts per 100 ml to "TNTC" (too numerous to count). Coliforms are a kind of bacteria located in the digestive tracts of animals and humans, soil and decaying vegetation. They are generally not harmful, but they are used as a gauge of water quality. Water contamination is typically associated with fecal contamination from animals and humans.

The Environmental Protection Agency says that no level of bacteria in drinking water is safe. The United States Departments of Federal Housing Administration and Housing and Urban Development both will accept bacterial counts under 10 parts per 100 ml as acceptably healthy for drinking water.

ixteen percent of the recent tests revealed counts above 10; 32% were between 0 and 10; and 52% revealed no coliform bacteria.

Homeowners whose analysis reflected no bacteria present need to do nothing in response, but an annual follow-up test is recommended for the future. It is also recommended that all homeowners with wells implement the Home-A-Syst program to maintain safe drinking water. The Home-A-Syst, a self-guided questionnaire to determine risk, is available online at http://economics.ag.utk.edu/hasfact.html.
Homeowners whose analysis revealed a bacterial count of 1 to 10 should consider some method of cleaning their drinking water. Shock treatment is recommended.

Homeowners with results over 10 parts per 100 ml should take immediate action. Shock treatment and retesting is essential.

Shock treatment involves using a high concentration of chlorine-ordinary household laundry bleach-which is very effective in killing bacteria and viruses. Chlorine, which is used in all municipal water supplies, will clean the well casing, household pipes and water faucets. The shock treatment procedure is outlined below.

1. Store enough clean drinking water for 24 hours.
2. Using guidelines from The University of Tennessee Extension in Sevierville (Director Alan Bruhin, 577-9963), determine how much bleach is needed for your well. Mix the bleach in a five-gallon bucket with water and pour the mixture directly into the top of the well casing.
3. Turn on an outdoor faucet and run the water until you smell a strong odor of bleach. If no odor is detected, add more bleach and run until the odor is evident.
4. Attach a garden hose to the faucet and run it to the well. Spray the entire inside surface of the well casing with chlorinated water for 10 minutes.
5. Go to each remaining indoor and outdoor faucet and run the water until you smell chlorine.
6. Let the chlorinated water stand in the pipes for 24 hours. This water is not to be used for drinking or cooking.
7. After 24 hours, turn on an outdoor faucet with a hose and run the water until there is no longer a bleach odor. Do not turn on indoor faucets until the odor is gone from the outdoor faucets.
8. Run all indoor faucets until the chlorine odor is gone. It is OK for there to be a faint taste or odor for a few days.
9. Re-test the water one or two weeks later. If bacteria are still present, one of two continuous disinfection systems may need to be added. Chlorinators are added directly to pipes and continuously add small amounts of chlorine to the water. Ultra-violet light systems kill bacteria passing under the light.
10. Annual testing is recommended in all wells for coliform bacteria. If a new baby is expected, testing for nitrates early in the pregnancy and again during the first six months of the baby's life is strongly encouraged.
    

Re-testing will be offered free of charge to anyone who participated in the first test and had a well analysis revealing bacteria present, and if shock treatment has been performed. Follow-up testing guidelines:

1. A sample should be collected from the cold water kitchen or bathroom tap. If the faucet has an aerator, remove it prior to taking the sample. Do not touch the inside of the lid or sample bottle, and do not dump the crystals out of the sample bottle.
2. Collect the sample the morning it is brought back for testing.
3. Return the sample between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., Wednesday, June 27, 2007, to 137 Bruce Street, Sevierville, next to Gateway Mortgage, across from Sims Barber Shop.
   

The task force is a joint venture between the University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service and the five Rotary Clubs of Sevier County. The goal of the Water Task Force is to test 400 of the household wells in the county over the next two years.

To fund the expenses of this effort the five Rotary Clubs of Sevier County are
contributing $500 each toward the expense of the project in 2007. In 2008 the clubs will increase their contributions to $2000. The clubs are also applying together for a matching grant of $12,500 from the Rotary District 6780 Simplified Grants Program.