Greenfield council discusses water plant
By
Brandy Chandler-brandychandler@gmail.com
Members of the Greenfield Village Council praised the efforts of water plant operator Nathan Campbell following questionable water sample testing that led to a village-wide boil alert that lasted several days.
In her report to council, Greenfield City Manager Betty Bishop said she wanted to thank Campbell for his leadership in the emergency.
"We want to assure each one of you we took every means available to us at the time to try to get the correct message out to the community during the boil advisory," Bishop said. "When a news release is issued, whether it is advisory or being lifted, we try to have one spokesperson, and usually that spokesperson is the person with the most knowledge of the subject. This time it was Nathan Campbell, the water plant operator. He recruited help and used as many media outlets available to him at the time and feels certain that we had the word out to 90 percent of the people within three hours. Nathan kept Brian Smith, the public works director, and myself informed, and we knew what and when releases were being made."
Bishop said that some people are still reporting to the village that they didn't hear about the boil order until days after it had been enacted. The initial boil order went out on Jan. 27 for the southeastern portion of Greenfield after several wells tested positive for fecal coliform, or E. coli bacteria. After additional testing was performed over the weekend, the boil order went city-wide on Jan. 30. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency was contacted, and the plant performed additional tests. The boil order was lifted Feb. 2.
"Still, people are telling us they did not know it," Bishop said. "We are evaluating and searching for other means of informational releases. We have always depended a lot on word of mouth, and we urge everyone to take responsibility and take steps daily to keep informed. We have eight wells and are only using 25 percent of our capacity. We know we have the best water available, and we strive to keep it safe for all residents. We thank everyone for being so understanding."
Members of the Greenfield Village Council praised the efforts of water plant operator Nathan Campbell following questionable water sample testing that led to a village-wide boil alert that lasted several days.
In her report to council, Greenfield City Manager Betty Bishop said she wanted to thank Campbell for his leadership in the emergency.
"We want to assure each one of you we took every means available to us at the time to try to get the correct message out to the community during the boil advisory," Bishop said. "When a news release is issued, whether it is advisory or being lifted, we try to have one spokesperson, and usually that spokesperson is the person with the most knowledge of the subject. This time it was Nathan Campbell, the water plant operator. He recruited help and used as many media outlets available to him at the time and feels certain that we had the word out to 90 percent of the people within three hours. Nathan kept Brian Smith, the public works director, and myself informed, and we knew what and when releases were being made."
Bishop said that some people are still reporting to the village that they didn't hear about the boil order until days after it had been enacted. The initial boil order went out on Jan. 27 for the southeastern portion of Greenfield after several wells tested positive for fecal coliform, or E. coli bacteria. After additional testing was performed over the weekend, the boil order went city-wide on Jan. 30. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency was contacted, and the plant performed additional tests. The boil order was lifted Feb. 2.
"Still, people are telling us they did not know it," Bishop said. "We are evaluating and searching for other means of informational releases. We have always depended a lot on word of mouth, and we urge everyone to take responsibility and take steps daily to keep informed. We have eight wells and are only using 25 percent of our capacity. We know we have the best water available, and we strive to keep it safe for all residents. We thank everyone for being so understanding."
[[In-content Ad]]Campbell reported to Bishop Feb. 3 that they will continue to test the water and look for the cause of the incident.
Bob Harden, of H.D. Water, has offered a free consultation to the village "to assist in the determination of what happened at well three," Campbell said in his report to Bishop. "We are going to excavate the area to look at a possible line break or open drain. There is still standing water that, in my opinion, should have drained by now. In addition, we will readjust the grade around it. The ground is very uneven and need to make some grade adjustments to the surrounding soil. During the excavation, we will inspect the slab construction. If the well was constructed with two concrete slabs, we will need to pump some grout between the slabs to seal it off."
Bishop said that Campbell's work was another example of the knowledge of Greenfield's employees "and their dedication to seeking solutions."
Campbell was in attendance during the council meeting, and Bishop said that she wanted to take the opportunity to publicly thank him for his work during the emergency.
"Thank you for your leadership, and how you stood up and let the people know, the best you could, what was in front of us," Bishop said.
Council members Betty Jackman and Robert Bergstrom said they felt Campbell had been a good representative for the city while appearing in interviews for Cincinnati television stations.
Council member Chris Borreson asked Campbell, if a "life-threatening emergency" should occur with the water system, if Greenfield had the capability to just turn the water off. Campbell said that while last week's emergency was bad, the need to completely shut off the water would have to be "catastrophic." However, it could be done.
"We can shut down three wells," Campbell said. "The excess water flows into storage, which will last for three days. We could open the hydrants to drain it if we had to," which would shut off the water supply in a matter of hours.
If a need to turn off the water should arise, Campbell said, "You'd see the EPA, CDC (Center for Disease Control) and every news channel there is. If it was that bad ... yeah, we could drain the system."
Borreson said he wanted people to know that if their life was in danger by it, the water would be shut off.
Campbell said that he "appreciates everyone's support."
Campbell reported to Bishop Feb. 3 that they will continue to test the water and look for the cause of the incident.
Bob Harden, of H.D. Water, has offered a free consultation to the village "to assist in the determination of what happened at well three," Campbell said in his report to Bishop. "We are going to excavate the area to look at a possible line break or open drain. There is still standing water that, in my opinion, should have drained by now. In addition, we will readjust the grade around it. The ground is very uneven and need to make some grade adjustments to the surrounding soil. During the excavation, we will inspect the slab construction. If the well was constructed with two concrete slabs, we will need to pump some grout between the slabs to seal it off."
Bishop said that Campbell's work was another example of the knowledge of Greenfield's employees "and their dedication to seeking solutions."
Campbell was in attendance during the council meeting, and Bishop said that she wanted to take the opportunity to publicly thank him for his work during the emergency.
"Thank you for your leadership, and how you stood up and let the people know, the best you could, what was in front of us," Bishop said.
Council members Betty Jackman and Robert Bergstrom said they felt Campbell had been a good representative for the city while appearing in interviews for Cincinnati television stations.
Council member Chris Borreson asked Campbell, if a "life-threatening emergency" should occur with the water system, if Greenfield had the capability to just turn the water off. Campbell said that while last week's emergency was bad, the need to completely shut off the water would have to be "catastrophic." However, it could be done.
"We can shut down three wells," Campbell said. "The excess water flows into storage, which will last for three days. We could open the hydrants to drain it if we had to," which would shut off the water supply in a matter of hours.
If a need to turn off the water should arise, Campbell said, "You'd see the EPA, CDC (Center for Disease Control) and every news channel there is. If it was that bad ... yeah, we could drain the system."
Borreson said he wanted people to know that if their life was in danger by it, the water would be shut off.
Campbell said that he "appreciates everyone's support."