After Windham, What is Being Done to Keep Portage County Water Clean?

Last month, the Village of Windham had a scare with its drinking water. An advisory affecting pregnant or nursing women and very young children was placed on the city’s water due to increased levels of manganese.

“It was only unsafe for a small segment of the population, but you can’t just say warning for one group, then everyone worries. And that’s rightfully so,” Village Administrator Maurice Hankins said.

The problem came from a defective “T” pipe, which redirects water to other pipes. A buildup of caustic soda, a corrosion deterrent, gradually reduced the flow of water and agents through the pipe, leading to increasing pressure within the pipe.

“That created pressure like if you squeeze a garden hose,” Hankins said. “It created enough pressure that the chlorine pump wasn’t able to get in there because the pressure was too high.”

Then harmful levels of manganese entered the city’s water without the chlorine. The EPA’s limit for manganese is .30. The city’s level was at .29.

“It’s in all water,” Hankins said.

He said communities like Amish villages have high levels of manganese. Because of Windham’s municipal status, manganese levels are much stricter.

Manganese is an essential chemical element that appears on the periodic table. According to the EPA, neurological or even “Parkinson-like” effects occur in some people .

But not all water plants are worried about manganese, even after the Windham incident.

Kent Treatment Water Plant Chief Operator Brian Johnson said he is confident with Kent’s water because of processes the plant uses.

The process managing manganese is called lime soda softening, which primarily softens hard (or mineral-heavy) water. The process is fairly common in water plants and consists of adding lime and ash soda to the water.

“Lime soda softening removes manganese, hardness and all of that kind of stuff in the water. And our water is pre-cleaned. We usually don’t get any hits for contaminants,” he said. 

But associate professor John Hoornbeek with Kent State University, who specializes in public policy and water policy, said there may be a reason for Johnson’s confidence with their processes. Kent has more money and resources for their residents’ drinking water than a smaller community like Windham.

“(Windham) may have difficulty paying professional staff as much. They may have difficulty keeping up with operations and maintenance. There may be inabilities to purchase the kind of equipment (they need),” he said.

Windham is attempting to catch up and fix some of the biggest problems with their initial emergency. Hankins said the advisory lasted longer than necessary because the Windham plant did not have a replacement piece readily available.

“…having spare parts on hand. A part on the shelf, a pump on the shelf, a valve on the shelf…” he said.

He also touted an upgrade to the water pumps from a “one-horsepower” pump to a “two-horsepower” pump, which could prevent buildup issues.