THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 30, 1995 TAG: 9507290092
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: SPECIAL REPORT: WATER WOES WORSEN
SOURCE: FROM STAFF REPORTS
LENGTH: Long : 144 lines
Restaurant patrons complained of funny-tasting iced tea. Bottled water sold at a brisk rate. And health officials warned people with health problems not to drink the water that flowed from their kitchen taps.
Hot weather and a lack of rain had driven the salinity levels of Chesapeake's primary water supply to nearly triple the maximum recommended by federal standards.
By Thursday the level of chlorides had reached 791 parts per million, far beyond the 250 parts per million level at which the taste becomes objectionable.
But it was the level of sodium, which at 396 parts per mission, was nearly 20 times the recommended level for those with certain health problems, which posed the greater problem.
The response of residents to the foul-tasting and potentially dangerous water took many forms: Applebee's Restaurant North Battlefield Boulevard
It was the middle of the lunch rush, but few people were ordering water to help wash down their meals.
Mostly, the drinks sitting on the tables were sodas.
``A lot of people say it doesn't bother them in the Cokes, although it's all from the same line,'' said house manager Sarah Roth.
Applebee's has not switched to bottled water for cooking or serving. Patrons are welcome to pay for a bottle of sparkling water, if they choose.
``We just warn all of our guests that our water is Chesapeake water, and it's full of sodium,'' Roth said.
The restaurant has filters for the water, ``but they're not strong enough to handle everything,'' Roth said. ``It's just very frustrating.'' INA Hurry Food Store Kempsville Road
At the bustling gas station/food market, the staff would barely keep the shelves stocked with bottled water.
Cashier Ginger K. Marshall said sales of the stuff were up as much as 69 percent.
``It sold before mostly to the health freaks,'' she said. ``I don't know whether it's because of the heat or the water, but it's going real good now.''
Meanwhile, sales of fountain drinks have dropped. The INA Hurry's fountains are hooked into city water, Marshall said.
``A man came in yesterday and got an orange soda, and he said it tasted terrible. He said he couldn't drink it and poured it out. Everybody has been saying it must be the water, because there's nothing wrong with our machine, and we're using the same syrup.'' Locks Pointe Restaurant Great Bridge
It's iced tea mixed with city water or none at all at Locks Pointe Restaurant. They can't make it any other way.
``We have no choice,'' said assistant manager LouAnne Tranquillo. ``But, so far, we haven't gotten any complaints. We'll see.''
People have complained, however, about the water in general.
``Some people who come in don't want to drink it,'' Tranquillo said. ``They ask, `Is it Chesapeake water?' and when we say it is, they order Pepsi.''
``Many customers used the term `Chesapeake water' like it was some dirty word.'' Cara's Restaurant Great Bridge
Customers at Cara's restaurant in Great Bridge would rather have no iced tea than some mixed with city water.
``People said they even tasted salt in our iced tea,'' said Kerstin Elledge, day floor manager. ``They all asked us if this affected our sodas, but it doesn't. We use our own compressed carbonated water to mix with the syrup.''
Elledge said diners were sending iced tea back to the kitchen ``left and right.''
``One regular customer who always orders an iced tea sent it back,'' she said. ``She told me it was awful. We made lemonade and couldn't use it at all because it tasted so awful. Most of our customers who drink water just sent it back.'' Sunrise Breakfast Shoppe Great Bridge
Waitress Kathy McGourn has one sentiment for the quality of city water recently:
``I live in North Carolina, and when I tasted the (Chesapeake) water - well, yeccch,'' she said.
``We've had customers ask us for bottled water,'' McGourn said. ``I heard one person say out loud that this water can give you a heart attack, that it was very bad for your health.
``Some come in and ask us, `Is there something wrong with Chesapeake water, again?' They all said that it tastes just awful.'' Chesapeake Municipal Center Albemarle Drive
Filling up old plastic milk jugs in front of the city's public safety building, Carl Schiemann was philosophical.
He remembers years past when the situation was even worse.
``People aren't lined up like before,'' to get clean water out of the city's storage aquifers, he said. ``There's hardly anyone out here.
``I don't blame the city,'' Schiemann said. ``It's just something that happened. It just happens to be the kind of water we have in Chesapeake.''
Charles and Horetta Houser said it was no big deal for them to load their old pickup truck with milk cartons and two-liter soda bottles to fill up at the city spigots, although they put off the task until they couldn't stand it any longer.
``It's so salty you can't make coffee or tea, and even the ice cubes taste funny,'' Charles Houser said.
``Don't get me wrong, we're happy to have the water we have,'' he said. ``It's better than having no water at all.'' MEMO: Staff writers Eric Feber and Elizabeth Thiel and correspondent William
Shroufe.
ILLUSTRATION: WHAT TO DO
Don't boil the water - it'll just taste worse. Boiling causes the
salts to become more concentrated.
When salt water is frozen, the salt tends to concentrate on the
outside, so shave your ice cubes to make them more palatable.
High sodium content in water can aggravate heart and kidney
problems. People on sodium-restricted diets should see their
physicians before drinking tap water. Chloride makes water taste bad
but poses no health risks.
Free city water is available at the following Fire Stations:
Rokeby Avenue, Freeman Avenue, Dock Landing Road, Homestead Road and
Whitamore Road. There is a 5-gallon limit at some stations.
For updates on water quality, call the city's hot line:
547-6360.
Staff photos by MOTOYA NAKAMURA
Kerstin Elledge, manager of Cara's Restaurant, says the water is too
salty. ``One regular customer who always orders an iced tea sent it
back,'' she said. ``She told me it was awful.''
Water Hut has been doing brisk business. Loading up on bottled water
are, from left: Ben and Ryan Shoup and Barbara and John Wike.
by CNB