Friday, February 9, 2001
Friday, February 9, 2001 |
|
Water quality study for sewer expansion shows problems that WASA can't control By JOHN MUNFORD
There were few surprises in the watershed assessment conducted on the Peachtree City area, according to WASA General Manager Larry Turner. Plant operator Susan Johnson is quick to correct him, however, adding that the big surprise was how good the water quality was leaving Peachtree City. "Peachtree City has pretty good erosion control enforcement," Johnson said, explaining one of the reasons behind the improved water quality leaving the city. "That can degrade the quality of a stream very quickly." The assessment was required by state environmental regulators as part of the city's application for expansion of the sewer system. It measured water quality at several points coming into and out of Peachtree City, Turner explained. The few problems that cropped up were in items that the city cannot control, he added. The study did show low pH levels in certain areas, but that's because those areas are near wetlands, Turner said. The wetlands are also the culprit behind the low levels of dissolved oxygen found in the water, he said. Some presence of fecal coliform bacteria was also found, but that was likely due to animal waste that washed into the streams, Turner added. Nothing tested positive in the 129 pollutants that were tested for, Turner said. Those tests looked for, among other pollutants, the presence of pesticides and herbicides. But some naturally occurring metals were found in the water, he said. "We did have some high zinc numbers, but that's a naturally occurring metal in the soil," Turner said.
|