Questions Raised About Need For Middle Gate Water Line

By Jan Howard

Two unidentified individuals have raised concerns to town officials about a proposal that would connect the Middle Gate School to the town’s water line at a cost of more than $500,000, when no contamination has been found there for over a year.

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal said this week that he received information from an individual regarding water tests that are performed periodically at Middle Gate School. Board of Finance Chairman John Kortze also received a telephone call from another individual who also raised concerns about the issue. Mr Kortze advised board members this week that he had also spoken to the state Department of Environmental Protection in regard to the issue.

Mr Rosenthal said the person who contacted him has knowledge of test reports that were conducted by Aqua Environmental Lab on Church Hill Road that indicated there have been three instances of coliform bacteria in four years at the school. There have been no other instances of coliform in the water for over a year.

Mr Rosenthal said Dominic Posca, the school system’s director of facilities, later confirmed what he had been told. Mr Kortze said it appeared that only three out of 55 tests indicated the presence of coliform.

Mr Posca, the school system’s director of facilities, this week confirmed that it has been more than a year since the school had a positive test for coliform. As of January 14 all tests have shown negative, he said.

However, despite the negative tests over the past year, Mr Posca said the school should be connected to the town’s water system. “This is what we’ve got to do,” he said.

“We would save ourselves a lot of headaches in the long run,” he said. “I wish people would come up and see the well house and see what we’re dealing with there. They would see how I have to operate up there.”

In regard to Head O’ Meadow School, which has tested positive for coliform bacteria more recently, Mr Posca said a chlorination system would be installed by February 1.

Mr Kortze questioned whether the town would be spending its money in the right place if it connected Middle Gate to the town’s water system. “It appeared to me we’re focusing on the wrong school,” he said, noting there may be a larger issue at Head O’ Meadow School.

Mr Kortze said his goal is to do what is in the best interests of the town.

He pointed to the Middle Gate water line connection being moved up in priority in the town’s five year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). In December, the Board of Education approved modifying the plan to move the $500,000 cost of the waterline proposal in priority from 2005–06 to the upcoming 2004–05 fiscal year.

The CIP has been approved by the Board of Finance and is currently before the Legislative Council for review. The council had voted unanimously 10-0 to reject a bonding resolution for the water line connection that was proposed in the fall, following a 3-2 approval in September by the Board of Finance.

Mr Rosenthal said though there may be more consistent problems at Head O’ Meadow School, a water line connection would be too costly, from approximately $1.5 to $2 million. If there were problems there, a new well would have to be dug, which would be the most cost effective solution, he said.

In regard to Middle Gate School, Mr Rosenthal said he does not question the motivation of the Board of Education in seeking a water line connection, but does question the methods used in obtaining Board of Finance approval.

He also questions whether a water line connection for Middle Gate, at an estimated $500,000-plus, is the best solution for the town.

According to the test results faxed to The Newtown Bee by Mr Posca, the latest test showing coliform bacteria was conducted on October 25, 2002, when it was found in a sink in the school’s kitchen and a sample from a faucet from well number one. No coliform was present elsewhere in the kitchen, nurses’ sink, or main office sink. Other tests that year that reported coliform bacteria were on May 10 and October 25.

Fecal coliform or e-coli has not been found in the water system, according to Tom Braun of Aqua Environmental Lab, which has conducted testing at Middle Gate and Head O’ Meadow schools for several years.

Mr Braun said coliform is an indicator bacteria that is found naturally in the ground and in the body. If it gets into a water system, there is a potential for other bacteria to also be in the water.

He said coliform in a water system could be present for various reasons, such as work being done on the system, such as replacing pipes, and chlorination not done following completion. Bacteria can also form in a leaking faucet or if a water system is not in use, such as in a vacant building.

Mr Braun said in the case of schools, there are certain requirements that are regulated by the state. If bacteria is present in the water system, repeat tests are required following chlorination to make sure the system is bacteria free.

In regard to Middle Gate, Mr Braun said, “This is a facility that is monitored by the state, which dictates testing parameters.” He said the “test results speak for themselves” since the state has not increased testing beyond the required monthly tests.

He said Head O’ Meadow School’s tests have been fine for the last couple of months. It had some bacteria in tests taken over the summer when the school was closed but has been clean since then, he said, and is on regular monthly testing.

He said one of Middle Gate’s tests that showed coliform was at the time treatment equipment was being installed in the well. “It was not significant at that time, and everything was sanitized.”

Mr Braun said school water systems are tested more than any other facility and on a regular basis, following state guidelines. “If there is an ongoing problem, it would show up,” he said.

In regard to connecting the school to the town’s water system, Mr Braun said, “The state always wants hookup to town water systems, not saying you need it.” He said town water is a chlorinated system that can create other issues.

He noted that if coliform was an ongoing problem at the schools, it would show up during ongoing testing.

He said neither Middle Gate nor Head O’ Meadow have had any serious contamination. In Head O’ Meadow’s case, two instances occurred when the school was closed and work was being done.

If a school does experience coliform, he said, it is put on bottled water during the disinfecting period until everything is clear. There may be an additional test during the month of the incident, at which time it might have to be chlorinated again. Once the system is clean, the state sends a letter stating the school could go back to using the system and regular monthly testing would resume.