Residents complain about pink water
3/9/2011

LEXINGTON, Ohio — The water department in Lexington, Ohio, has received nearly 200 phone calls from customers complaining about the pink color of their tap water, the Mansfield News Journal reported.

According to Administrative Director Randy Pore, the discoloration was caused by an accidental release of potassium permanganate, which is used to remove iron from water.

Pore said the water is safe to drink, but warned residents not to do laundry, as the water may stain clothes.

Crews worked until 2 a.m. Monday to fix the problem, the article stated.

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Coal supplier to pay $4 million to settle Clean Water Act violations
3/2/2011

WASHINGTON — Arch Coal Inc., the second largest supplier of coal in the U.S., has agreed to pay a $4 million penalty to settle Clean Water Act violations in Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia, according to a press release.

A joint federal-state complaint filed in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of West Virginia alleged numerous violations of Arch Coal’s permits that set limits on pollutants to be discharged into streams.

The alleged excess discharges of iron, total suspended solids, manganese and other pollutants reflect deficiencies in operation and maintenance of wastewater treatment systems in place at four of the company’s mining facilities, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

“Violations at mining operations can have significant environmental and public health consequences, including the pollution of the waters that people use for drinking, swimming and fishing,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “It is critical that companies operating next door to homes, schools and other businesses meet the standards established to protect the health and the environment for these communities.”

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Study: Manganese in well water affects children’s IQ
9/20/2010

MONTREAL — A study recently completed by a team of Canadian researchers indicated that high concentrations of manganese in drinking water may have an adverse effect on children’s intellectual abilities, according to a press release.

The results of the study, which are published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, showed that children exposed to high concentrations of manganese in drinking water performed worse on tests of intellectual functioning than children with lower exposures, the release stated.

The study, conducted by researchers at the Université du Québec à Montréal, the Université de Montréal and the École Polytechnique de Montréal, examined 362 Quebec children, between the ages of 6 and 13, living in homes supplied with water from individual or public wells.

For each child, the researchers measured the concentration of manganese in tap water from their home, as well as iron, copper, lead, zinc, ars.enic, magnesium and calcium.

Each child was assessed with a battery of tests assessing cognition, motor skills and behavior, according to the release.

“We found significant deficits in the intelligence quotient (IQ) of children exposed to higher concentration of manganese in drinking water,” explained lead author Maryse Bouchard. “Yet, manganese concentrations were well below current guidelines.”

The average IQ of children whose tap water was in the upper 20 percent of manganese concentration was 6 points below children whose water contained little or no manganese.

The authors stated that the amount of manganese present in food showed no relationship to the children’s IQ.

Some of the municipalities where the study was conducted have already installed filtration systems to remove manganese from the water, the release stated.

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WaterRF commissions studies on water main breaks, manganese prevention
8/30/2010

OMAHA, NEB. — The Water Research Foundation (WaterRF) and its funding partner, the United Kingdom Drinking Water Inspectorate, has selected HDR’s Water Business Group in association with American Water to conduct two separate research studies, according to a press release.

The first study will attempt to identify best practices for water utilities to manage public health risks associated with water main breaks and depressurization events.

The purpose of this project, which is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2010 and conclude in the summer of 2013, is to improve utility responses to main breaks and depressurization events to better protect public health.

In the other study, HDR will work with 12 utilities to investigate manganese accumulation in distribution systems, the release stated.

Through interviews and case studies with participating utilities, the research team will gather utility data to improve industry understanding of the costs and effectiveness of various prevention and remediation strategies for manganese.

The report will be completed in the fall of 2012, according to the release.

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