MOUNT PLEASANT – The Kensico Water District and the Old Farm Water District, both in the Town of Mount Pleasant, have been cited for violations of exceeding levels of haloacetic acids.
Both systems are not emergencies, officials said.
Water samples in both exceeded the parts per million, but officials said customers need not do anything unless they have a severely compromised immune system, have an infant, or are elderly.
Those people may be at increased risk and should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.
Haloacetic acids are disinfection byproducts formed during treatment of drinking water by chlorine, the most commonly used disinfectant in the state.
For the Kensico district, the town has submitted a project to the Westchester County Health Department for approval to install a bypass water main loop system containing over 1,200 feet of 24-inch and 36-inch diameter water and main pipe which will eliminate disinfection treatment from within the storage tanks to provide disinfection just upstream from the distribution system.
That project, officials said, will significantly reduce the time disinfectant is in contact with the organic matter from over 24 hours down to just minutes. That reduced contact time will occur within the new bypass water main loop. The modifications are expected to lower haloacetic acids by nearly 60 percent and return the district back into compliance.
The Old Farm district is being supplied water from the Kensico district. The source of the haloacetic acids is occurring from the Kensico district which is having similar issues with higher levels of those acids.
It is anticipated the levels of haloacetic acids will be reduced in the spring 2023.
