Despite assurances, Columbia’s water is unfit to drink
By KEN MIDKIFF
Published Friday, September 12, 2008
(http://www.columbiatribune.com/2008/Sep/20080912Comm002.asp)

Our drinking water is polluted, contaminated and unfit to drink. It is not pure and clean. Regardless of assurances by city officials, well-intended advocates and cockeyed optimists, the short- and long-term effects can be devastating. The long-term effect of ingesting trihalomethanes above EPA standards (currently at 80 parts per billion) is well-known and well-documented: cancer of the urinary tract.

The short-term effects are not well-known and not as well-documented but are potentially more harmful than the long-term impacts. A study in California shows miscarriages (medically known as "spontaneous abortions") were almost doubled in women drinking water containing trihalomethanes as contrasted with water that was absent of such. Other short-term effects are gastrointestinal flu-like symptoms and "interruptions" of the central nervous system.

Our water department officials and the Columbia City Council are not on the job. Their inclination is to keep doing the same thing and somehow expect different results. In fact, the water department recently purchased a brand-new chlorinator, in spite of all data showing chlorine was part of the problem. Denial of a problem does not lead to a solution.

The formula for creating total trihalomethanes is simple: Chlorine plus temperature plus time plus organic compounds equals total trihalomethanes. Essentially, the longer organic compounds in our drinking water remain in contact with chlorine, the higher the level of harmful trihalomethanes. Trihalomethane levels also tend to go up in times of warmer weather.

A recent report by the U.S. Geological Survey and a previous report by an engineering firm give indisputable proof that the rise in total organic compounds is coming from the Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area. The reasoning is simple: Missouri River water - which seeps into the McBaine bottoms - contains about 20 parts per billion of organic chloride, and the aquifer itself contains about 20 parts per billion of organic chloride. Therefore, any rise in the level of chloride must stem from other sources. The most likely source is Eagle Bluffs.

Since 1994, the Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area has received partially treated wastewater from Columbia’s wetlands treatment system. This wastewater is high in chlorides. The level of groundwater has gone up. Before receiving Columbia’s wastewater, the aquifer under the McBaine bottoms flowed roughly parallel to and in the same direction as the Missouri River. But Columbia’s wastewater has altered the flow of the aquifer, and it now flows in all directions, including toward our wells.
Add to this alteration of flow the "cone of depression" caused by pumping in the aquifer, and it all adds up to our wastewater flowing into our wells. This is the conclusion by a recent (unreleased) report and the previous (2005) report. Contrary to hopeful analysts, the recent University of Missouri study shows the entire well field is contaminated, not just those wells in close proximity to Eagle Bluffs.

Although it could be there’s some other source, it is highly unlikely. No matter how much we would hope there’s some other source of contamination, all indications are the enemy is us. We are the ones who create the wastewater that is contaminating our wells.

Fortunately, there are some fixes for our drinking water problem. Most of these require that the water department change the way it treats our water. There are many examples of treatment, ranging from ultraviolet to chloramines. The latter seems to be the quickest and cheapest. No doubt the taste and odor of our drinking water would change. But just as we’ve become accustomed to the taste and odor of chlorinated water, so would we become accustomed to the taste and odor of chloraminated water. And unlike water treated with chlorine, there seem to be no nasty side effects from water treated with chloramines.

Other cities - much larger than Columbia - have adopted such solutions in response to drinking water contaminated by trihalomethanes. Rather than minimizing the problem and giving meaningless assurances to the public, cities from San Francisco to Lexington, S.C., took prompt and decisive action.

But, for now, we have a problem. Contrary to all assurances, it is a large problem.

The only result of continuing to do the same thing will be higher levels of trihalomethanes and more short- and long-term effects. The city council, ultimately responsible, needs to act - now.

Our drinking water is not safe.