THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, October 31, 1995 TAG: 9510310292
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANCIE LATOUR, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
For a brief moment over the weekend, Chesapeake residents were spared the salt-brine solution flowing from their spigots.
Whether that moment will turn into long-term relief, however, is far from certain.
Chloride and sodium levels on Saturday dipped to their lowest levels since salty water inundated the city's main water system in July.
Chlorides, which give water its salty taste and briny residue, fell to 245 parts per million. Sodium, which poses a potential health risk to consumers, dropped to 123 parts per million.
Those numbers are a sharp decline from three weeks ago, when the chloride content peaked at 1,693 parts per million - more than six times higher than the 250-parts-per-million federal threshold for salty taste.
Sodium levels had risen to 847 parts per million, or about 35 times what doctors recommend for those suffering from high blood pressure, kidney problems and other patients on sodium-restricted diets.
Public Utilities Director Amar Dwarkanath said he welcomed even the temporary relief brought by this month's rainfall.
Chesapeake got 6.1 inches of rain in October, about twice the average rainfall for this time of the year.
With a little more rain, Dwarkanath said, the city could turn a corner and maintain consistently low salt levels.
But experience has taught him otherwise.
``You wait until it really drops down and stays down,'' Dwarkanath said. ``Any rain is good, but this amount is not enough. The levels will continue to fluctuate until the weather pattern breaks.''
Monday's levels seemed to bear out those warnings: the chloride content rose slightly to 423 parts per million on Sunday, then dipped again to 316 parts per million on Monday.
Unrelenting southeasterly winds and lack of rain this summer sent the salt concentration to its highest level in a decade.
So deep-set are residents' instincts against turning on the tap, that some said they didn't notice any improvements in the water: They've been loath to drink it.
Fifty-five-year-old James Mason said he's been buying bottled water for months now.
``I couldn't tell you if it's better or not because I don't drink it,'' said Mason. ``I even stopped drinking water at fast-food restaurants because I didn't know if they were buying it or not.''
Tommy Jackson, a father of three children - 3, 5 and 7 years old - said he and his family haven't tried the water and probably won't because he doesn't want his kids drinking it.
``I'm happy that it's better,'' Jackson said, ``but I'm curious to know how the supposedly improved water rates against other cities. Then we'll know how good it is.''
Amy Ferguson, 26, said she accidently swallowed the water on Monday and it didn't taste any better to her.
``I was rinsing my mouth off after brushing my teeth and I ended up drinking some of the water,'' Ferguson said. ``It was so bad I almost choked on it.'' MEMO: Staff writer Katrice Franklin contributed to this story.
by CNB