Friday, August 29, 2008

Houston, we have a problem...


Friday 4:00 PM Click to enlarge

10 comments:

  1. When UMass flushes hydrants, they do it post-meter which means that UMass has to purchase the flushed water from Amherst (while water flushed out of hydrants is generally considered part of doing business, like a line voltage loss for electricty).

    I don't remember UMass flushing hydrants this summer - they usually do this in the summer because the load drops off without the students here, moreso with the conservation efforts.

    And so thus the higher water prices combined with UM attempts to conserve may have....

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yea, we do have a problem. E-Coli is nothing to sneeze at when a persons' resistance is already compromised, and they have been using this water to consume medications.
    BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Until later.................

    ReplyDelete
  3. During last weeks routine water samples, the Town of Amherst water system violated the
    Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for Total Coliform Bacteria in its water supply.
    =========

    Let me see if I get this straight: tests from last week only come in at the end of THIS week? Why isn't there a *daily* test that has - at best - 24 hour results?

    We are living in the age of terrorism, what if the bad guys put something bad into the water -- wouldn't do much good to find out about it after absolutely everyone was dead....

    ReplyDelete
  4. News:
    Young townie is lost in the area of the Atkins Water Plant - he is said to be emotionally disturbed.

    News:
    Amherst water is contaminated, and the E Coli has been found in the area served by the Atkins Water Plant.

    Inquiring minds want to know if ...

    ReplyDelete
  5. A disturbing rumor:

    A town employee was overheard to not be surprised that the water was "contaminated" because the town's new inspector hasn't done a full set of tests "in months."

    Larry, two questions to investigate:

    First, how many tests has Amherst paid for (there will be financial records) in FY-09? We are 60 days into it, how many were done before now?

    Second, how many hydrants were flushed in town? There is a record of this because they have to turn off (or do something to) fire alarms lest the pressure drop/change trip lots of bad things.

    So, like, there will (or won't be) a paper trail. And if the latter, well then the Town Mangler has a bit to answer for because HE is responsible for this...

    ReplyDelete
  6. You know, with all the water that UMass uses, Amherst probably could join the Mass Water Resources Authority (MWRA) and pay MRWR rates -- of $12.68 per 100 cf (748 gallons) of water/sewer usage.

    This is what the folks in MetroBoston pay for the Quabbin water.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ed wants Answers:

    > "I find it hard to believe we
    > had that bacteria with such a
    > high level of chlorine.

    I do too -- and add that since chlorine kills bacteria, how many were there *before* the chlorine killed them? (Just for something to do, what is the bacteria count of the primary untreated water supply - any dead animals floating by the inlet?)

    > We have also boosted up the
    > chlorination (Thursday) so we
    > are hoping that will help us,
    > too," Pariseau said.

    Let me see if this rather stupid UMass student has this right: you found out on FRIDAY that you had high bacteria, but you boosted CL on THURSDAY, which is, like THE DAY BEFORE??? (Assuming the reporter got this fact right.)

    Now why did you do this? Chlorine is expensive, it also has negative aspects to everything from pipes to people (to some extent, particularly in high levels).

    So assuming that the Repub got it right, the town responded to a problem that they wouldn't even know they had for another day? Are they that clairvoyant?

    Or did the town know it had a problem and NOT TELL US about it? Or were things being ignored all summer with a wakeup call of knowing that the results were coming in and might not be good?

    Also, the CL was boosted on Thursday, but was elevated in the samples taken a week earlier which means that it had already been boosted prior to the taking of the test sample (for it to be high in the sample).

    Now either someone likes to waste town money or someone had a reason to think that he/she/it needed to be jacking up the CL levels. (Or is the chlorine only turned on when they are taking samples???)

    Assuming that the paper has this right, that CL was elevated (even higher) the day BEFORE the samples with already-elevated CL came back, well Ed wants to know how they knew they would need such high CL levels????

    > it is possible that the E. coli
    > test was positive because the
    > sample was contaminated.

    Yes it is, quite possible, if you don't maintain sterile conditions and such. Although with a high Chlorine level, one might think that any introduced bacteria (say from dirty DPW guy hands) would be killed as well.

    If the Springfield Republican is accurate, there is an issue here. And even though it affects the evil UMass, the rest of you drink (or don't drink) the same water...

    Ed Cutting

    ReplyDelete
  8. Finding it hard to sty on focus, but just want to make this statement to ED.

    You deserve an Oscar for being the biggest bore, in this Blog site. As someone said before, stop rambling, on and on, make a short statement and close out.

    Yea, get your own blog site. I may drop in to see how you are doing.

    Until later.................

    ReplyDelete
  9. the water at my house (that i just lost,) was brown brown brown for years....just disgusting, and it corroded pipe fittings and clogged them too.

    so they finally fixed the town water pipes 6-7 years ago. great, but since then the road repair they left behind has now become a full fledged maze of potholes, which the vehicles do not slow down for, and results in deafening banging and clanging road noise, all day long! i should note that many of those speeding vehicles are dump trucks on their way to warner bros sand quarry, and often times i see cowls' truck speeding by...the limit is 30, but i see 50+ regularly. that is why i keep suggesting placing a traffic cop near my house....it would pay for the cop and be a boon to the town's coffers.

    if the way the town employees patched the road over the years is any indication of the caring and wherewithal that a town employee who I PAY should have...well it is no surprise then that there is water neglect and deceit going on. i witnessed lackadaisical workers aimlessly over-piling road patch into holes, then driving over it a few times to pack it down. is that state of the art road repair?

    most dpw guys i have seen at work sites are usually standing around, not looking busy at all. there is no incentive to work hard, and when they do, i bet the old timers tell them to take it easy.....wouldn't want to make them look bad.

    ReplyDelete
  10. here is a challenge: i would work any town employee into the ground, maybe then the town will pay me my design fees for Academy Square, developed for the 250th committee, then was blown off by them. thanks to barry roberts, carol johnson, terri rooney and others.

    ReplyDelete