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Tap water could look like tea
By LISA GREENE, Times Staff Writer When it comes to water pipes, some things are best left unsaid. For example, while they carry water for drinking, bathing and washing clothes, these pipes are not smooth and shiny inside, as you might expect. They are lined with gunk. Normally, that's fine. But later this year, instead of relying mostly on groundwater, the Tampa Bay area will begin using a mix of desalinated seawater, river water and groundwater. When that happens, the water's new chemistry could flush the gunk from the pipes into your water, tinting it dingy brown. "It's like drinking tea," said Pick Talley, Pinellas County utilities director. To keep that from happening, scientist are studying pipes, mixing chemicals and flushing water lines -- scrambling to figure out what to do. If their solutions work -- and they say they should -- your water will be as clear as it is today. If they don't, the water probably would be suitable for drinking, though who would want to? It could mark porcelain fixtures and stain laundry orange. "It would be a disaster," said Macari Bishara, manager of the Belleair Beach Resort, which washes up to 500 towels and 100 sheets on a busy day. "Can you imagine running a hotel without being able to have laundry done?"
The board of Tampa Bay Water, the region's water supplier, will vote in May whether to approve spending $460,000 a year on chemicals to help the chemistry of the new water match the old. They hope that will keep the water from discoloring in December, when the water switches in Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties. Most water pipes are coated with what water insiders call scales. The scales are made of minerals such as calcium and iron that build up over time. Normally, water gushes through the pipes, leaving the scales alone. But, said Chris Owen, water quality guru at Tampa Bay Water, pipes "don't like to be messed around with." That will happen with the new water, which will meet safety standards. But it will be less alkaline. Tampa Bay Water's new studies show that the less alkaline water could scour the scales from the pipes, releasing iron into the water and changing its color. The discoloration threat will increase in April, when more river water, low in alkalinity, will be used. The utility has set up small-scale water treatment plants to mimic the new water and run that water through pieces of local pipes to study color changes. Talley said he thinks Pinellas County, which supplies water to two-thirds of county residents, is most at risk because its water system is bigger and has more older pipe, which contains more iron. "We're all going to do our darnedest to recognize this potential and prevent it from happening," he said. "It may never happen and we will breathe a sigh of relief." If there are problems, utilities officials will go to affected neighborhoods and flush the pipes by opening fire hydrants until the water runs clear. If there's a widespread problem, they would try to adjust the water chemistry. The chemicals Owen wants to add -- caustic soda and carbon dioxide -- would make the water more alkaline, so it would be less likely to remove the scales. Such chemicals are rarely used in Florida, where most utilities use groundwater. But several utilities use them successfully in Washington, California, Colorado and elsewhere, she said. Other utility officials are less concerned than Talley, but said they're monitoring the situation closely. Only Dave Tippin, Tampa's water department director, flatly said the water change won't be a problem. Tampa uses water from the Hillsborough River and takes additional steps to treat it. Pinellas and Hillsborough have hired consultants to study whether they need to make more changes in how they treat the water. St. Petersburg is flushing its pipes more often so less scale will be on the pipes when the new water arrives. "We're obviously concerned about the research," said Patti Anderson, public utilities director in St. Petersburg. "But we're taking some action to be as prepared as we can be." St. Petersburg treats its water at a softening plant, so the utility also could add chemicals there if needed. "I don't think anyone can predict (discoloration) with any certainty," Anderson said. "We do have some old pipes in the ground. We're going to do our best to take care of our customers."
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