DATE: Saturday, November 1, 1997            TAG: 9711010661

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY LIZ SZABO, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE                        LENGTH:   78 lines

``WATER NERD'' LOVES TO KEEP CHESAPEAKE'S TAPS FLOWING

He calls himself one of ``the water nerds.''

As Chesapeake's public utilities director, Amar Dwarkanath often finds himself immersed in details about deep wells, aquifers and pipelines.

And he laps it up.

``We just love to talk about water,'' said Dwarkanath, 52.

Ask him a question, and he's likely to answer by drawing a diagram.

If there's a statistic he doesn't know, he leaps to his feet like a kid, his search for a definitive answer almost becoming an aerobic workout. He springs toward his desk, trots out the door to his secretary or traverses the office to scrutinize a map.

Such bubbling enthusiasm might seem surprising after 16 years on the job.

Especially since, as the man in charge of Chesapeake's water system, he's been doused with his share of salty comments.

In dry years like this one, the Northwest River water distributed to half the city's residents takes on an unpleasant salty flavor. Some have compared it to the taste of Alka-Seltzer; many choose bottled water instead.

Recent fall rains flooded downtown Norfolk but did little to reduce Chesapeake's elevated sodium and chloride levels. Friday's Northwest River chloride levels of 477 parts per million, while only one-fourth the peak levels two years ago, are still noticeably high.

With Chesapeake's rainfall six inches below normal for the year, Dwarkanath said he can't predict when chloride levels will return to normal.

``This is a very difficult question to answer,'' he said. ``This means we need more rain and that the ground is very dry.''

It has been worse.

In 1986 and 1995, chloride levels topped 1,600 parts per million - more than six times the federal threshold for taste.

Residents griped that they left their morning showers coated with a briny film.

People complained to Dwarkanath. And people complained about Dwarkanath.

Loudly.

In a letter to the editor of The Virginian-Pilot last year, Carl Cahill described Dwarkanath's ideas as ``legend, laughable and expensive.'' In 1991, F.O. Frye wrote that Dwarkanath provides ``poison on tap.''

The grumbling continues today.

``We still get quite a few calls,'' said J.K. Walski, assistant director of public utilities.``Quite often, we're the butt of jokes. But it's getting better.''

Dwarkanath tries to let it roll off his back. In just 12 months, Chesapeake's $64 million reverse osmosis treatment plant should be completed and ready to desalinate city water, he said.

``When people tell us it's bad, that our chloride level is high, they're only telling us the truth,'' Dwarkanath said. ``Salt is something that occurs, and we're working on it, but once we take care of it, it shouldn't be bad. You do hear people calling, and you want to do better, you wish you could make it go away and you feel bad.''

If Dwarkanath sounds optimistic, it may be because he's seen worse.

As a child, he lived in Bangalore, India, in a house with a water tank on the roof for use during the night, when municipal water was turned off.

``I'm a big water drinker, too,'' Dwarkanath said. ``My taste buds are as sensitive as anyone else's.''

Beyond the chloride crisis, Dwarkanath has had to manage enormous growth. The number of Chesapeake's water customers has more than doubled, from 22,000 to 51,000 customers.

Vice Mayor John W. Butt admires Dwarkanath's earnestness, as well as his ability to stay upbeat.

``He's a very sincere person,'' Butt said. ``He's concerned about his job. He likes to make sure things are done honestly and precisely, and he's a good numbers man. It shows he does his homework.''

After more than a decade of struggling to bring Lake Gaston water to Chesapeake, Dwarkanath said he has a reason to be chipper.

``Everything is falling into place, and all our hard work is paying off,'' Dwarkanath said.

As for the salty flavor lingering in Chesapeake water?

``At least it's not getting any worse.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo

Amar Dwarkanath KEYWORDS: PROFILE WATER CHESAPEAKE

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