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Springdale Borough takes first steps to address brown water issue

Photo courtesy of Springdale resident Thomas Lettrich

SPRINGDALE BOROUGH, Pa. — At a public meeting Tuesday night, Springdale Council members took a series of steps to get to the bottom of the borough’s water quality issues.

Last week, resident Tom Lettrich showed Channel 11 News just how brown the water is that runs out of his faucets.

“No, I don't think (it’s safe),” he said.

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Springdale Mayor Ken Lloyd spoke on behalf of the council Tuesday evening.

“They're taking this issue as serious as we can, and we're going to fix this,” he said.

A new engineer will be brought in to study every component of the system, including the wells, treatment plant, reservoir and pipes, for a total cost of $27,000.

While the county health department has declared the water safe, there is an elevated level of manganese.

“I believe one of the reasons we're getting the manganese throughout our system is the condition of the filters,” Springdale’s water chairman, David Spirk, said.

Spirk said the filters are well beyond their lifespan.

In all, there have been 10 formal complaints about the water, which Lloyd hesitantly admitted that he “sometimes” has reservations about drinking himself.

Some residents are also questioning how the plant was operated in the past and whether maintenance could have been better handled.

“Looking back, yeah, maybe we could have done a better job. I'm not blaming anybody,” Lloyd said.

The borough has selected Banks Engineering of Cheswick to examine the entire water system. Channel 11 News was told it was the middle bidder in the process.

Meanwhile, Springdale officials are advertising for a new plant operator. The most recent operator retired, effective Tuesday night.

WPXI

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