Malodorous Tap Water Leaves Many Malcontent
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
2 September 2010
By Andrew Conte
A musty taste and smell coming from the tap water in some Mon Valley
communities has people worried about contaminants, even though
environmental officials say the water remains safe to drink.
Neighbors in Lincoln Place gathered Wednesday night to talk about
whether the changes in their water could be linked to gas well drilling
upriver along the Monongahela River. About 100 people met with state
Sen. Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills, and many said they do not trust the
water quality since the taste and smell first appeared two weeks ago.
More than a dozen people lined up to ask questions that more often
turned into statements.
"What are we doing to our water supply?" asked Jeanne McMullen, 43, of
Lincoln Place. "Are we going to import our water while we export our
natural gas?"
A neighbor, Mary Martin, 63, said she is so concerned about the tap
water that she has been giving bottled water to her cats.
Costa spoke for about 15 minutes, saying that a statewide ban on
Marcellus shale drilling is unlikely and that lawmakers may not pass a
severance tax on natural gas this year.
"An area where we may have success is awareness of neighborhood
drilling," Costa said to applause. "That doesn't make sense to me that
we would go down that path."
Last night's meeting was hosted by the Lincoln Place Action Group, an
association of residents in the Pittsburgh neighborhood opposed to
Marcellus shale drilling even though none is taking place there.
The residents' fears about their drinking water are unfounded, health
and environmental regulators said.
"People may find the taste and odor unpleasant, but if they do drink
it, it won't make them sick," said Guillermo Cole, spokesman for the
Allegheny County Health Department. "There is no health risk."
The water changes were caused by blue-green algae that can bloom with
lots of sunlight and little rain, said Ron Bargiel, water-quality
manager for Pennsylvania American Water, which draws and treats
drinking water from the river. When the algae are stressed or killed,
it releases two chemicals -- geosmin, which gives soil its earthy
smell, and MIB, or 2-methylisoborneol.
Salts and total dissolved solids from mine drainage and Marcellus shale
gas drilling do not cause the algae to grow, but they could kill it and
trigger the chemical release, said Bargiel who attended the meeting.
Similar blooms occurred in the early- and mid-1990s, according to water
company records.
"We have no evidence that there is any relationship between this growth
of algae and Marcellus shale drilling," said Katy Gresh, spokeswoman
for the state Department of Environmental Protection.
The Mon's water quality has remained within safe levels, she added.
The ongoing bloom has been concentrated between Elizabeth and the South
Side, Bargiel said. The chemicals released by the algae have decreased
by 80 percent since peaking Aug. 23, he added.
Andrew Conte can be reached at andrewconte@tribweb.com or 412-320-7835.