Morgantown Dominion Post
12 November 2008
By Tracy Eddy
A “total dissolved solids” problem in the Monongahela River is not affecting the Morgantown Utility Board’s ability to provide clean drinking water to its customers, according to MUB officials.
Jim Green, general manager, gave the MUB board members statistics on the increased number of dissolved solids in the water during MUB’s Tuesday meeting.
“Total dissolved solids” are solids, such as salt, that can dissolve in water but will reappear if the water evaporates, he said.
This year’s drought has caused an increase in the amount of the total dissolved solids, Green said, because there is less water flowing in the river.
The problem could also be caused by an increase in natural gas drilling along the river, he said, because brine, which is mostly salt, from the drilling could get into the water.
The average amount of total dissolved solids in the area is 323 milligrams per liter, Green said. Some areas of the Monongahela River in Pennsylvania have more than 700 milligrams per liter of total dissolved solids.
“We can’t find any impact at this point,” he said. “Our drinking water supply is not in any danger.”
In other business:
Board members voted unanimously to lease a construction excavator from Cleveland Brothers Caterpillar in Shinnston.
Green said MUB has two excavators that are 20 years old or older. He said the average life of an excavator is about seven to 10 years.
MUB will lease the excavator for five years, he said, and the payments will average about $3,000-$3,400 a month.
“It’ll dent our reserve if we buy it outright,” Green said. “We don’t want to do that right now.”
MUB will drop the dosage of fluoride in the public water.
Green said the state Health Department advised MUB to drop the flouride content of the water down to 0.8 parts of fluoride per million parts of water.
The fluoride content was previously 1 part of fluoride per million parts of water, Green said, and the drop in dosage will save MUB about $8,000 a year.
Green said the 0.8 parts of fluoride per million parts of water would still strengthen teeth and prevent cavities.
“It’s a good move,” he said. “It’s a cost-effective move on our part.”
Chairman Barton Loar took time at the beginning of the meeting to acknowledge Veterans Day and show his appreciation for the men and women serving in the military.
“We have a huge debt of gratitude to those who fought and those who served,” he said.