by Alex Brooks
Petersburgh Water Superintendent Ben Krahforst noticed on Friday morning August 5 that the water level in the District’s water tank was dropping, and he knew there must be a leak somewhere in the system.[private] He was unable to find the leak on Friday, and by Saturday morning the water level had dropped so far that he had to turn on Well #2 in order to keep water in the system.
Since the winter, all of the water for the District has been supplied by Well #5, because the water coming from that well has about 36 parts per trillion. Well #2 produces more water, but the water from that well has about 130 parts per trillion of PFOA in it.
As long as there are no leaks in the system, Well #5 can keep up with the District’s demand, and that keeps the PFOA level in the water below the EPA standard of 70 parts per trillion. But when there is a leak and Well #2 has to be turned on, the level of PFOA in the finished water starts to rise.
On Monday morning Rich Winters from the Rural Water Association came out to Petersburgh to help Krahforst find the leak. Through the day they found two small leaks, one in a private house and one in the hydrant at Head of Lane, but these were not big enough to explain the falling water level in the tank. Krahforst estimated that the system was losing 50,000 gallons per day, and neither of these leaks were anywhere near that volume. It was late in the day that they checked the valve pit on Moses Road and found it completely full of water and running out the overflow drain. They had to get a pumper truck from the Fire Department to pump it out fast enough to see what was going on. A 2” bypass line of Schedule 40 PVC that had been installed to accommodate the wells in the Town Park had come off where it was connected to the main water line. A brass nipple and a shutoff valve was installed in the opening, and the leak was fixed.
Krahforst turned off Well #2 that evening, but since it had been pumping for three days, the level of PFOA in the water in the tank is higher now, and Krahforst estimates it might take ten days or so for it to come back down to where it was before the leak happened. He said the Rensselaer County Department of Health will be monitoring the water and will keep the Town posted on their findings.[/private]