http://www.mariettatimes.com/news/story/new54_617200584109.asp
The Marietta Times (Ohio)
June 17, 2005
Little Hocking customers asked to conserve
water
By Kate York
Little Hocking Water Association customers are asked to conserve
water until one of three wells used in the area can be repaired.
Thunderstorms Tuesday evening damaged the electric motor in one
of the association’s wells, said Robert Griffin, general
manager of the Little Hocking Water Association, which serves
12,000 people in western Washington County and Athens County.
“We have a temporary motor on it so it is running but we
don’t know how long that motor will last,” Griffin
said. “We’re asking people to conserve until we can
get a permanent motor in.”
If the water demand is not reduced, the
association will have to begin using Well No. 5, which has been
found to have a higher level of the chemical C-8 than the other
wells.
“We’ve come close a couple times but we haven’t
used that well since 2002,” said Griffin. “It’s
precautionary on our part.”
There are no known harmful health effects for people exposed
to C8 but testing has only begun in recent years and long-term
effects are not yet known. C8 is used by the DuPont Washington
Works plant to produce Teflon.
Griffin said Thursday he expects that a new motor can be installed
within a few days and customers will no longer be asked to conserve.
With hot weather for most of the month, water demand has been
high, he said.
“Last week it was so hot we had all three wells running
20 hours a day,” he said. “With losing one, we don’t
have enough to keep up with that kind of demand.”
Vincent resident Shane Wilson, 33, said a few days of water conservation
won’t be too much of an inconvenience.
“I’ll try to do my part,” he said. “If
everyone does a little bit, it won’t be so bad. I’d
rather they didn’t have to use the well with a bunch of
C8, just in case.”
Tips for conserving water
any time:
• Run dishwashers only when full or wash dishes by hand.
• Turn off the water while brushing teeth or shaving.
• Use alternative cooking methods like steaming or stir-frying
vegetables instead of boiling.
• Take quicker showers.
• Buy bottled drinking water.
• Postpone watering the lawn.
