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Marla Marcinko
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TAB 7
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA)
July 10, 2002
BOROUGH SWITCHES TO BACKUP WATER
FILTERS TO BE USED
Author: JUDY SALISBURY CLINE
Zelienople began drawing drinking water from Connoquenessing Creek, its backup water source,
on Monday after the water level in its reservoir dropped over the weekend. A filtration system is
being set up and is expected to be in operation in about two weeks, borough Manager Marla
Marcinko said.
AK Steel set up the filtration system, called reverse osmosis, last year as part of a consent
agreement with the federal Environmental Protection Agency, after the steel-pickling process at
the company's Butler Works was found to be the cause of excessive nitrates in the creek. The
filtration system was dismantled after nitrate levels in the creek dropped to acceptable standards
following changes AK Steel made in its pickling process.
Marcinko said drawing water from the creek before the filtration system is in operation does not
pose any health concerns for residents because the nitrate levels in the creek are at an acceptable
standard for drinking water.
She said residents may have complaints about taste or odor if the levels of sulfate or chloride
rise. The company's new operating permit also sets limits on sulfate and chloride discharges.
Currently, they are at acceptable levels, she said.
Marcinko said the water level in the borough's reservoir normally is 12 to 13 inches below the
top but dropped to 34 inches below the rim over the weekend because of a lack of rain in recent
weeks. By Monday, it had risen back to 28 inches below the top, she said.
She said it was difficult to tell whether a waterline break on Saturday along Route 288 near
Marion Drive affected the water level in the reservoir. A crew was able to repair the break by
working all night, she said at Monday's council meeting. The borough's primary water source is
Scholar's Run.
Nitrates can cause illness in infants, but no illnesses or deaths have been linked to the discharges
from AK Steel's plant in Butler Township. Zelienople is considering an agreement with
Harmony Water Authority for sharing water during an emergency. Council decided to meet with
the authority July 22 to discuss how the two boroughs can cooperate by opening a connection
between their waterlines during an emergency. Harmony has proposed a written interconnect
agreement, but Zelienople asked that a flow meter be installed so that Zelienople could charge
Harmony for any water supplied through the lines. The two-way meter also would regulate
water flow from Harmony to Zelienople in case of an emergency. Harmony's primary water
source is Little Connoquenessing Creek.
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