Beginning the East Carbon City Council meeting that took place on Tuesday evening, Mayor David Avery stated that there were some allegations that he wished to address.
He explained that many within the community met at the park last week, at which point the council and mayor were accused of not giving the residents notice during the issue in which the manganese levels had risen dangerously in the city’s water.
Mayor Avery went through a timeline, explaining when samples were gathered to be tested and when the results of the elevated concentrations were determined to exceed the advisory level. The East Carbon team met with the Division of Drinking Water to discuss treatment options and public notice was sent out.
According to Mayor Avery, the entire process lasted 27 days and the idea that two months had gone by before the community was informed was incorrect. He also stated that the city was accused of not doing anything about the problem, though the levels dropping would make it obvious that that was not the fact.
When the state ordered the issue, an engineer with the water division was contacted and he had informed the city that they were not the only location that was experiencing the issue.
Days and thousands of dollars were spent to equip the city to pre-treat the water and Mayor Avery stated that this step is likely what worked. They were lucky in being able to get the levels down and this is a fix that has been in place ever since.
Russell Seeley with the Division of Drinking Water was present during the meeting and spoke with community members regarding their concern. He explained that manganese levels are being closely watched and levels are currently low. As far as drinking water is concerned, East Carbon is in the clear. He said that it has been a beautiful water year.
“It’s something that we’re watching, that we’re concerned about, because I think maybe a lot of you are concerned about it as well,” Seeley stated. Seeley assured that, throughout the summer, they have been measuring periodically and have not seen any algae.
From there, other concerns within the city continued to be addressed, though Mayor Avery stated that he had been advised to not address some as they divulged privacy issues.
The community was reminded that the city code is on the website, located easily on the front page of East Carbon’s site, and is always available to peruse.