Problem in color of Latrobe Municipal Authority water cleared

The Latrobe Municipal Authority appears to have addressed instances of discolored water previously cited by some of its customers, a recently-released report states.

Complaints of water resembling "very weak iced tea" began in July 2008, according to the report completed by Gibson-Thomas Engineering Co. Inc.

At the time, the authority had just begun operation of a new treatment system at its plant in Kingston to comply with current and pending regulations by the state Department of Environmental Protection, the report states.

A primary cause of the problem came after the authority lowered its water's pH level to accommodate Chestnut Ridge Beverage Co., authority Solicitor Richard Jim said previously.

If a liquid's pH level is 7, or neutral, it contains a balance of acidic and basic makeup, authority engineer Mark Gera said. Levels lower than 7 signal a higher acidic content in liquid; levels higher than 7 indicate a more basic makeup, Gera said previously.

After the authority lowered the water's pH level, Gera said, the spike in acidic content caused water to dissolve calcium carbonate coating the inside of the authority's iron pipes. Eventually, the acid began to dissolve the iron itself, causing the water discoloration, Gera said.

The authority has since raised the water's pH level. The limestone scale has, in turn, re-formed on the interior of the pipes, which has lowered the instances of affected water.

In no instances were any of the authority operations staff mentioned as at fault for the water quality issues, according to a treatment process audit completed by water chemist Thomas Stehle of Stehle Consulting LLC, the report states.

The authority has been advised to conduct similar inspections annually, the report states.