DATE: Thursday, September 11, 1997          TAG: 9709110691

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

SOURCE: BY JEFFREY S. HAMPTON, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: CAMDEN                            LENGTH:   79 lines

OFFICIALS KEEP TRYING TO CURE CAMDEN'S WATER WOES

A Camden woman says the much-maligned county water has sickened her and her children, and she has taken her complaint to federal authorities and U.S. Rep. Walter Jones Jr.

``The water coming out of my faucet is green because of the bacteria,'' said Stacy Anderson, a resident of Sandy Hook Road. ``Yesterday, my chlorine levels didn't come to a tenth of the state minimum.''

Anderson is dissatisfied with efforts from local and state authorities and this week called the Environmental Protection Agency's drinking water section for the Southeastern United States based in Atlanta.

Meanwhile, Camden authorities have scrambled to try to clear up the problem.

Water system crews are flushing two million gallons a month and plan to install today a chlorinating tank near the remote area, where tests show the water has high levels of bacteria. In five months of efforts, the water has shown little improvement.

Anderson and her children began drinking and bathing in bottled water after her 3-year-old developed a viral infection and her 3-month-old began spitting up excessively, she said.

South Camden's water system came under fire last May when resident Donna Walker called state authorities to check her water when she felt local officials were not responding.

Tests show Walker's water to be excessively high in bacteria counts, she said. She and Anderson have refused to pay their water bills.

``I'm not paying for contaminated water,'' she said Wednesday morning.

Walker has not used the Camden water since signing on a year ago. She said she developed eye infections when she showered in it. Now she travels 40 miles to Moyock to fill up large plastic barrels with water from her father's house.

The county buys its water from Elizabeth City, then treats it with chlorine before pumping it to about 600 customers in south Camden.

Officials say the lines are long and are not used heavily enough to keep the chlorine fresh. As a result, bacteria builds in the pipes.

``They need more demand,'' said Bart Van Nieuwenhuise, the public works director for Elizabeth City.

The South Mills Water Association, a private operation with no connections to the South Camden Water District, supplies water to 5,000 residents in north Camden, said Ann Sawyer, a spokeswoman for the association.

The SMWA treats its water with mixture of chlorine and ammonia called chloramines and in 30 years has never had a problem with bacteria contamination. South Camden plans to install a similar system within a month.

``We'll have to turn this into a chloramine system,'' Camden County Planner John Smith said.``I think the program of flushing and adding chloramines will work,'' said Van Nieuwenhuise.

For a temporary solution, an engineer from Kinston is installing a field chlorinator to treat the water and clear pipes for 41 customers on four roads.

Parts of Sandy Hook Road and Trotman Road and all of Ditchbank and Bartlett roads will be closed from 8 a.m. Thursday until 4 p.m. Friday during the intensive chlorination.

The field chlorinator will add 50 parts per million of chlorine for 24 hours. The normal treatment is three parts per million. The ``superchlorination'' should clear the lines of bacteria, Smith said.

``After 24 hours, we're flushing everything out and replacing it with lower-chlorinated water,'' Smith said. ``They'll probably smell some chlorine for four or five days.''

For months, county crews and local engineer Sean Robey have flushed 2 million gallons a month at a cost of $2.11 per thousand gallons, Smith said. At that price the $15,000 cost for the chloramine system is a deal, he said.

Walker, however, says she doesn't see evidence of the flushing.

``When you ride down Sandy Hook Road there are five hydrants just trickling,'' she said. ``You couldn't drown a mouse in them.''

Walker and other residents in South Camden fear the water is contaminated in some Camden schools, rest homes and restaurants. But Smith insists the health department keeps a close check on those establishments.

``The water runs real well down (N.C.) 343,'' Smith said. ``I just drank a bunch of it at the Topside Restaurant last night.''

Anderson and Walker are not likely to get help from Rep. Jones, who has a policy not to intervene in local government affairs, said spokeswoman Tina Blake.

``I asked her to call back if she felt they did not respond,'' Blake said.

Fred Hunter, an agent with EPA's drinking water system for North Carolina, could not be reached for comment.

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