Latest information for Amston Lake water system customers
The Amston Lake water system serves 181 year round customers in Hebron (147 customers), Lebanon (32 customers) and Colchester (2 customers)
Last updated: February 21, 2012
Customers of approximately 25 homes served by the Amston Lake water system attended the Public Availability Session on Thursday, February 16, 2012, and the majority indicated they found it to be helpful. At the Session copies of the Connecticut Department of Public Health's Amston Lake fact sheet and Connecticut Water's Amston Lake summary available. Both documents can be viewed here:
Connecticut Department of Public Health - Amston Lake fact sheet
Connecticut Water - Amston Lake Summary
One of the most commonly asked questions by the people who attended was: “How do I know that my water is safe and we will not have elevated copper levels in the future?”
We know that elevated copper levels experienced throughout the system were caused by water chemistry at the source wells and were not the result of stray electrical current affecting the entire system. Specifically, a recent drop in the pH at the source wells has been identified as the problem. The underlying cause of the recent drop in the pH of the source water has not been determined, but we are able to effectively treat the water by adjusting pH at the source wells.
Correcting low pH at the source wells is done by adding a treatment chemical that increases the pH of the water as it enters the distribution system. Once pH treatment has been implemented, we are required by the DPH to regularly monitor pH levels on a daily basis. We do this using pH analyzers and chart recorders. The pH analyzers continuously monitor the pH of the water going into the distribution system and alert our people via alarm system 24 / 7 if the pH goes above or below a set range. The chart recorder continuously records the pH of the water going into the system so that we can track pH data continuously going forward.
In the future, as the pH of the source water changes, we are able to adjust the amount of treatment chemical added to keep the water’s pH in an effective range. For example, if the pH at the wells were to drop to 5, we would be able to maintain a pH in the effective range by increasing the amount of treatment chemical added. The opposite is also true, if the source water pH were to increase, as it has done recently between mid-January and mid-February, then we are able to reduce the amount of treatment chemical.
Also, the type of treatment chemical used and the method for adding it to the water system requires approval from DPH. The DPH inspected and approved our chemical feed system and the treatment chemical (potassium hydroxide) that is being used before we implemented the pH adjustment. Any future change in the feed system or the treatment chemical would require approval by DPH.
Copper Level Update:
We continue to collect water samples twice per week from 10 homes in the Asmton Lake water system. The frequency and location of the samples were approved by DPH as being representative of the system. Recent water quality testing continues to show excellent results. Since January 20, 2012, all 101 water samples collected have tested below the Action Level for copper. The most recent results from Tuesday, February 21, showed the average level of copper detected was 0.18 mg/L (0.44 mg/L was the highest), both are far below the Action Level of 1.3 mg/L. Copper test results are posted on our Web site at www.ctwater.com.
We encourage you to contact Connecticut Water directly, if you have questions about water system operations, if you would like your water tested for copper, or if you would like the latest copper results and are not able to access our web site. Connecticut Water can be reached at 1-800-286-5700 or by e-mail by clicking the Contact Us link on our Web site at www.ctwater.com.
If you have questions about drinking water quality standards and regulation please contact the DPH’s Drinking Water Section at (860) 509-7333.
If you have questions about the health effects of copper at the Amston Lake water system please call DPH’s Environmental Health Section at (860) 509-7748, or consult with your physician.
Copper test results for First Draw samples collected since January 19, 2012
Date |
Number of Samples |
Average Copper Level |
Highest Copper |
Number Above Action Level* |
Average pH |
Lowest pH |
2/21 |
15 |
0.18 mg/L |
0.44 mg/L |
0 |
8.22 |
7.86 |
2/16 |
10 |
0.28 mg/L |
0.50 mg/L |
0 |
8.14 |
7.90 |
2/14 |
9 |
0.30 mg/L |
0.59 mg/L |
0 |
8.06 |
7.86 |
2/9 |
10 |
0.30 mg/L |
0.71 mg/L |
0 |
8.04 |
7.66 |
2/7 |
9 |
0.34 mg/L |
0.75 mg/L |
0 |
8.11 |
6.54 |
2/2 |
11 |
0.33 mg/L |
0.83 mg/L |
0 |
8.01 |
7.64 |
1/31 |
12 |
0.34 mg/L |
0.65 mg/L |
0 |
8.08 |
7.52 |
1/26 |
10 |
0.313 mg/L |
0.67 mg/L |
0 |
8.02 |
7.68 |
1/24 |
10 |
0.332 mg/L |
0.75 mg/L |
0 |
7.82 |
7.36 |
1/22 |
2 |
0.52 mg/L |
0.54 mg/L |
0 |
7.41 |
7.38 |
1/21 |
3 |
0.42 mg/L |
0.52 mg/L |
0 |
7.43 |
7.35 |
1/19 |
8 |
0.59 mg/L |
1.92 mg/L |
2 |
7.58 |
7.17 |
* the Action Level for copper is 1.3 mg/L.
** The two samples that came back above the Action Level on 1/19 were resampled on 1/21 and 1/22 and resamples results on both days were below the Action Level.
Results for 1/6/12 through 1/19/12 are available here.