DATE: Wednesday, August 13, 1997            TAG: 9708131045

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

SOURCE: BY JENNIFER LANGSTON, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   62 lines

BACTERIA STILL PRESENT IN WATER LINES DESPITE FLUSHING, COLIFORM REMAINS IN PARTS OF SOUTH CAMDEN SYSTEM.

Despite attempts to flush fresh water through the South Camden drinking system, bacteria that prompted officials to send a ``boil water'' notice to users remain in the pipes.

Two weeks ago, the state told customers that coliform bacteria had been found in the South Camden water system. The notice said anyone wishing to avoid contact with it should boil drinking water.

``Some people may be susceptible to it,'' said Mike Bell, supervisor of the North Carolina Public Water Supply Section in Washington, N.C. ``But I would not generally consider it to be harmful.''

Donna Walker said she developed an eye infection after hooking on to the county system and that her dogs got diarrhea after drinking the water. She has been taking showers at the houses of friends and relatives for weeks.

``They're telling me it's safe, but I don't feel bathing in something like that every day is a good idea,'' said Walker, who lives on Sandy Hook Road.

Bell said tests taken at Walker's house over the last two weeks have shown bacteria levels that are ``much higher than what we want.''

Walker is frustrated by the lack of progress.

``It's been almost two weeks since that `boil water' notice was issued, and we haven't seen any improvement at all,'' she said. ``How much longer do we have to twiddle our thumbs and wait for them to do something about it?''

Officials said attempts to kill the bacteria were taking longer than they had expected.

``In one section, we can't seem to get it cleared up,'' said Camden County Manager John Smith.

Officials said coliform bacteria typically grow in the absence of chlorine. Because demand for water in the sparsely populated South Camden area is relatively low, water either sits or moves slowly through the pipes.

``There's an awful lot of line out in the county,'' said Sean Robey, a consulting engineer hired by the county. ``Just like a swimming pool, when the water sits around, chlorine tends to dissipate.''

County and state officials said they have been flushing fresh water through the system trying to get chlorinated water throughout the pipes. They have been using about 200,000 gallons of water a day, Robey said.

South Camden buys its water from Elizabeth City at $3 per 1,000 gallons. Some of that water is now bleeding out of fire hydrants into swamps or ditches, officials said.

``It's a shame that we're spending a lot of money treating that water in Elizabeth City and it's running out on the ground,'' Bell said. ``But if it helps lower . . . the bacteria levels, it's not a complete waste.''

So far, sections of the water system south of the Camden water tower at South 343 and Palmer Road have continued to fail tests for the bacteria.

Officials said that tests for more dangerous contaminants like E. coli and fecal coliform bacteria have been negative.

``All of the real bad stuff has been absent,'' said Robey.

Bell said coliform bacteria are prevalent in the environment but aren't usually found in drinking water.

``I don't know where the bacteria is coming from. It's been a puzzle,'' he said.

Bell said that if flushing the pipes does not solve the problem ``very shortly,'' the next step would be to shut down sections of the South Camden water system and treat them with high levels of chlorine.

That process would take 42 to 48 hours in a best-case scenario, Robey said.

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