Temperatures continue to work against Water Plant operators’ efforts to improve water taste

High temperatures continue to hamper efforts of Akron Water Plant operators as they work to improve the taste of the village water supply.

For the second Monday in a row, Chief Village of Akron Water Plant Operator John Asmus met with the Akron Village Board to update them on the ongoing circumstances creating water customers’ concerns over odor and taste.  “The entire community is impacted,” Mayor Carl Patterson said.  “This continues to be a priority.”

Hot weather, low oxygen levels in the reservoir, high demand are all working against the operators as they try to keep the taste of higher contact with organics out of the supply.   Within the last fourteen days the temperature at the water intake, 45 feet below the surface of the reservoir had a high of 26 degrees Celsius or approximately 79 degrees Fahrenheit.  As of Monday, it was down to 22.8 degrees Celsius, or about 73 degrees Fahrenheit.  Cooler nights and fewer minutes of sunlight are expected to help lower the lake temperature which will help efforts to reduce contact of the water with organics.

Asmus told board members the plant has restarted injecting low levels of pre-chlorination into the reservoir near the water intake and hopes to add aeration near the intake as well.

The plant was originally designed to pre-chlorinate, but as other filtration processes made the extra chlorination unnecessary and efforts to minimize chlorine contact by-products were instituted, the pre-treatment was discontinued.  In the current situation, reintroducing that pre-treatment helps oxidize some of the organics before the water enters the plant, enhancing the effectiveness of the oxidizing agents inside the treatment plant, and further improving taste and odor.  “I have noticed an improvement in taste at the plant,” Asmus said.

Asmus noted that contact between water and carbon has been doubled and adjustments to potassium permanganate introduced at the water plant to improve the taste continue on a regular basis.  Potassium permanganate adds oxygen to the water, removing organics without toxic end products, removing taste and odor contaminants.

Asmus also shared with the Board that the current aeriation process in the reserve has a v-shaped piping system with the intact in the center of the narrow end of the V.  A process which also helps remove organics from the water prior to entering the plant.  He told Board members he has the piping supplies at the plant to add a section of pipe to increase the aeration near the intake and wants to hire divers familiar with the piping set up and reservoir to install the additional line.  Board members indicated support of that plan.

While the Akron watershed protects village customers from heavy metals, petroleum, road, agricultural runoff, and other contaminants found in larger bodies of water, very hot summers with high water usage throw the delicate balance, of products designed to keep contact with organics at a point they do not impact water taste, into a sometimes hourly effort of adjusting the system, Asmus explained.  “We are using everything available to us to deal with an invisible problem that comes in waves,” Asmus reiterated.

“Oxygen levels are up to 3.1 parts per million from 1 part per million earlier this month,” Asmus said.

Asmus assured the Board and customers that this is not a Public Health issue, but rather a taste and odor issue.  “We have had no problems with chlorine residuals and have performed more than the recommended bacteria tests to ensure safe water for our customers.”  He spoke with the Health Department again on Monday, told board members “There are no questions or concerns as to what we are doing,”  Asmus said.  “Other water systems are experiencing similar problems.”

Asmus asks residents to be aware of any unusual standing water and report it to the Village as water line breaks are more prevalent during dry periods and extremely cold conditions.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call the Akron Water Plant at 585-547-9410.

Manager of Public Works Jon Cummings supported Asmus’s assessment of the situation and his plans for continued adjustments.