Former water official releases statement on levels of chlorine in local water systems

Editor’s Note: The following is information from Jerry Smith with Avoyelles Environmental Services. Smith is retired from several years water services in Louisiana as the Health Sanitarian-Louisiana Health Department and is also currently responsible for the issuing of boil advisories for communities in Avoyelles. The statement here voices his concerns about Louisiana drinking water chlorination:
Act 573 (SB 75) of the 2014 Legislative Session resulted in an emergency rule requiring a minimum residual of free chlorine of 0.5 mg/L, replacing the EPA requirement of 0.2mg/L residual chlorine in public drinking water. Act 573 (Emergency Rule) resulted following the deaths of two people in St. Bernard and Desoto parishes; one of these deaths being a four-year-old boy. The deaths were determined to be from PAM (Primary Amoebic Meningoen-cephalitis) brain eating disease confirmed to be Naegleria Floweri (NF) infection. Both water systems of those parishes were tested for amoeba with positive results. These two water systems used the conventional treatment and chloramine disinfection to treat surface water supplies. Ground water source systems mainly use chlorine gas as a means of treatment. A background format presented to the Senate in November 2013 indicated a common issue: the detection of low to no chlorine residuals in the testing of the two water systems experiencing amoeba problems.
One can only conclude that the issue here was related to inadequate surveillance of these systems and their chlorine residual monitoring, along with a lack of proper chlorination to ensure required chlorine residuals. How could these water systems get by with low to no chlorine residuals without the proper enforcement of existing chlorination rules?
The two parish water systems which experienced problems with the presence of Naegleria Floweri utilize surface water as a source of drinking water. The Naegleria Floweri amoeba is present in surface water and there is no evidence of amoeba in ground water in the state of Louisiana. Arizona reported in 2002 the presence of amoeba in ground water systems. Some water systems use both ground water and surface water sources, which could result in cross contamination, though it is extremely rare that this could occur. Arizona still follows the EPA rule of 0.2 mg/L residual in public drinking water. It is apparent when chlorine residuals are properly maintained and monitored, 0.2 mg/L is adequate for chlorination, even with the presence of amoeba. Louisiana is the only state that requires 0.5mg/L residuals, which is properly a good rule for surface water systems, but definitely unnecessary for the treatment of ground water sources.
The high chlorination of water can result in harmful health risks due to an increase in THM’s (Trihalomethanes). There is also an expensive and unnecessary added cost for this increased chlorination, thus placing a bigger financial burden on struggling water systems. The sad part is that ground water source systems are forced to increase chlorination to almost triple the amount in order to maintain a residual of 0.5mb/L rule. This fact of a higher required residual can and will result in THM levels for most water systems.
Why the concern of increased levels of THM’s in public water supplies? Such organic compounds are known to be carcinogenic substances.
These organic compounds enter the human body from drinking and bathing. When taking a shower, one can inhale steam with high amounts of THM levels. These organic compounds can also be introduced into the body through skin pores.
It is definitely clear that the unnecessary higher chlorine residuals are very costly and pose serious health concerns. As concerned individuals, we request legislators and health officials to consider decreasing these chlorine levels to the EPA rules of 0.2mg/L for public water systems utilizing ground water in which there is no presence of amoebas.
Jerry P. Smith
Avoyelles Water Operator Group