March 29, 2022 |
The Town of Saratoga issued a public notice that the municipal drinking water violated a drinking water requirement.
The deficiency dates back to June 10, 2015, after the Environmental Protection Agency conducted a routine sanitary survey of the town’s blue water storage tanks. The air vent and hatch on both the bolted and the welded tanks were cited as deficient. The EPA gave the town a deadline to correct the deficiency. According to the town’s own admission in a recent public notice, no action was taken.
The town reports, however, no harm was done by not fixing the issue by the deadline. In a release, town officials state residents do not need to take any action, such as boiling water. The EPA never issued any corrective orders.
Councilman Ron Hutchins explained what he called the “Catch-22” position the town found itself after the EPA’s inspection seven years ago. The deficiency revolves around the town’s failure to use an EPA-required “Number 24” mesh screen, which neither tank could accommodate.
In a public notice released earlier this month, the town noted that the situation does not represent an emergency. Neither the public notice nor Councilman Hutchins provided any details – the significant deficiency, or SD, has been corrected. Hutchins put it this way when speaking to the council.
Courtesy photos of the blue water tanks in Saratoga.
The public notices states that with the issue corrected, the SD has been closed in the EPA’s database.
Only the welded water storage tank is in service. The bolted tank, easily distinguished by the long tell-tale stains from its leaky joints, has been removed from service and is scheduled to be removed.
Hutchins added that with the deficiencies addressed, the town’s water system poses no threats to the public. A recent, routine test of the municipal water supply, the councilman said, came back “fine.”
Call the Public Works Department for more information, 326-8335.
