Belmont Drinking Water problem notice

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR DRINKING WATER

The City of Belmont Has Levels of Total Trihalomethanes Above Drinking Water Standards
Our water system recently violated a drinking water standard. Although this is not an emergency, as our customers, you have a right to know what happened, what you should do, and what we are doing to correct this situation.
We routinely monitor for the presence of drinking water contaminants. The latest test results we received on September 1, 2011 show that our system exceeds the standard or maximum contaminant level (MCL) for Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs). The standard for TTHMs is 0.080 milligrams per liter (mg/L). The average level of TTHMs for the last 12 months was 0.082 mg/L.

What should I do?
You do not need to use an alternative (e.g., bottled) water supply. However, if you have specific health concerns, consult your doctor.

What does this mean?
This is not an immediate risk. If it had been, you would have been notified immediately. However, some people who drink the water containing trihalomethanes in excess of the MCL over many years may experience problems with their liver, kidneys, or central nervous system, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

What happened? What is being done? When will the problem be corrected?Decreased industrial usage has caused a decrease in overall consumption in the North Belmont area. This has led to an increase in the development of TTHMs.
To correct this, the City of Belmont has plans to install two mixers in the Hager & North Belmont Tanks. A project to relocate one of the chlorine injection points at the water plant has begun. The City has also applied to participate in a State study to analyze TTHM levels at various water plants throughout NC.

For more information, please contact:
Responsible Person
Joseph Roy
System Name
City of Belmont
System Address (Street)
115 N. Main St.
PO Box 431
Phone Number
(704) 825-2625
System PWSID #
01-36-015
System Address (City, State, Zip)
Belmont, NC 28012
Violation Awareness Date: 9-1-2011
Date Notice Distributed: 9-28-2011 Method of Distribution: Direct Mail, cityofbelmont.org, newspaper

Given these factors about the water, I assume this is a ground water contamination issue from all the mills and factories that used to exist in the Belmont area. Hence, would it not make sense to revisit the convenants in RP and allow homeowners who wish to build, the option of drilling their own wells? Or is this a statutory issue when we were annexed by the City of Belmont? I would much prefer to have control over my own water supply and filtration than rely on the city.
Jim

Perhaps as an alternative, go with city water but install a whole house water filter. That's what I did and it cost about $1000 which is far less than digging a well. Every drop of water is crystal clear and taste great. It also helps prolong the life of appliances and water heaters.
There is very little maintenance which is basically cleaning and recharging it with new charcoal once a year.
Just a thought.
Good luck with your building.

Yes, the cost to dig would take 7 years at least to pay back based on the average annual cost of water in Belmont. Do you know if we can use lake water for waste water (toilets)? I heard about this last night and was curious.

I really don't know if that is permissible. Perhaps someone on the board may know. However I don't think that would be a good idea because I use lake water for lawn & shrub irrigation and that too needs filtration. In fact I clean the filter at least once a month during the summer. There is quite a bit if silt in the lake water and it can easily clog sprinkler heads. I would imagine that if it was used for waste water your toilets would turn brown and it might also mess up your sewer grinder system. My annual average water bill comes to $1/day so Belmont water is not really expensive as long as you use the lake for irrigation. Hope that helps.