Samples taken in October from the UConn water supply system have tested positive for total coliform bacteria and the university says fluctuating chlorine dosages in newly installed equipment are to blame.
According to Frank Labato, UConn's director of environmental health and safety, total coliform is an indicator bacteria that could signal the presence of other organisms in the water supply. However, repeat testing of UConn's water supply determined it was completely free of any bacteria.
The presence of the bacteria means that there is a problem with the water distribution system, Labato said. UConn recently installed new equipment that did not release adequate amounts of chlorine to keep the water sources bacteria free. At this point the problem with the equipment has been solved.
"The November tests have come back fine," said UConn's registered sanitaraian Michael Pascucilla. "There's no need to worry."
Generally total coliforms are not harmful to health and can appear randomly in public and private water supplies. The existence of the bacteria indicates the possibility that fecal and disease-causing bacteria may be lurking in the water supply.
"Total coliform is a non-pathogenic bacteria, meaning it's not harmful. But its presence indicates that other harmful organisms could be in the water," said Pam Scully of the Connecticut Department of Public Health.
The DPH analyzes water samples throughout the state at intervals during each month and the number of samples taken is determined by the size of the population served. Twenty-five samples are taken from the university every month, one from the Depot Campus and 24 from the main campus.
On Oct. 10 and Oct. 24, the university's Department of Environmental Health and Safety collected samples for analysis. Three of the 24 samples collected from the main campus tested positive for total coliform. The sample from the Depot Campus showed no signs of contamination.
In accordance with total coliform regulations that require water with more than two positive hits to undergo repeat sampling within 24 hours of notification, the university submitted new samples.
Repeat samples taken on Oct. 11 and Oct. 26 indicated no signs of total coliform.
The university owns and operates two large wellfields and each field contains four wells, according to the UConn Drinking Water Report published in 2001. One wellfield is located on the east bank of the Willimantic River on Spring Manor Farm and the other is located on the west bank of Fenton River.
According to Labato, the university's water supply system serves a large population including the main campus, the Depot Campus, Celeron Square Apartments, the post office and the Senior Center in Mansfield.
"The Connecticut Department of Public Health considers our water to be of very high quality," Labato said.
While the DPH feels that drinking water with coliform bacteria is not considered to be hazardous to ones health, federal and state law requires that suppliers notify water users when total coliform registers more than twice in a given month.
According to Labato, the university has taken extensive measures to inform the community. A public notice was published in The Advance, The Willimantic Chronicle and on the UConn website. In addition e-mails were sent to faculty. A public notice will be running in the Daily Campus soon. The notice was supposed to run in late November, but with Thanksgiving break, the Daily Campus was not able to run the notice on time.
"We do not want people to be in the dark about their water," Labato said.
The university maintains the water is safe to drink, but some students are more skeptical.
"It's pretty disgusting," said Kristin Jeffe, a 7 th- semester communications major and resident of Celeron Square Apartments. "Who knows what else is in our drinking water?"
Until now Jeffe had not been notified about the positive hits in the UConn water supply system.
"These tests are from October," she said. "Residents should have been notified immediately. This shouldn't be the first time we are hearing about it."
Be the first to comment on this article!