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Water switch prompts calls
By LISA GREENE and CRAIG PITTMAN
So far, the biggest impact appears to be on the telephone system.
"Some people are saying, "Hey, if this stuff is not good for fish, I'm not putting it in my body,' " said Alan Sayler, president of Suncoast Water Inc., which installs home filtration systems. Actually, utility officials say, the water is just as safe as it ever was. On Monday, Tampa Bay Water, the region's largest wholesale utility, switched to using a chemical mix called chloramine to disinfect water in central Pasco and most of Pinellas. Tampa Bay Water had been treating the water with chlorine. But when chlorine mixes with certain organic compounds found in the area's water, it creates low levels of hazardous chemicals, such as chloroform. Federal regulators are cracking down, and soon will allow less of those substances in drinking water. Hence the switch, which involves adding ammonia. The ammonia bonds to the chlorine, creating chloramine. In Tarpon Springs, the new chloramine-treated water arrived about noon. At Louis Pappas' Riverside Restaurant -- home of the marinated octopus and flaming cheese -- the massive lunch crowds didn't comment on the change, said Nancy Pappas. "Nobody's reacting to it," she said. Mark Schroeder, the city's water division supervisor and thus a connoisseur of municipal water flavors, said the main difference he noticed was the absence of a chlorine odor. But he was apparently the only one who noticed any change. The new water reached central Pasco County neighborhoods such as Meadow Pointe around midday. By Monday evening it had reached Oldsmar in Pinellas. Many residents had called Oldsmar's water department in previous weeks when they heard about the change, but nobody called Monday, said public works director John Mulvihill. "By tomorrow we'll probably get some calls," he said. "The normal person probably won't detect it." By today it should arrive in Clearwater, Seminole and perhaps even St. Petersburg, utilities officials said. By Thursday, all of Pinellas County will get it, except for Belleair and Dunedin, which are on different water systems. Chloramine is used by 30 other local governments in Florida, including Tampa and Miami, and many others nationwide. But the hoopla over this switch has made enough Tampa Bay utility customers nervous that Sayler said he has already gotten calls from people who thought their tap water tasted funny -- before the switch had actually occurred. "People are concerned about exposure in the shower and while brushing their teeth," he said. "Our calls have at least doubled." Utility officials say the water probably won't affect you unless you've got gills. Until the switch, aquarium owners could use chemicals or just leave tap water sitting out while the chlorine dissipates. Chloramine doesn't dissipate in the same way, so chemicals must be used -- different chemicals from the ones used for chlorine treatment. Pet stores such as Animal House on 62nd Avenue N in St. Petersburg have fielded a flock of calls from worried fish fanciers. "Every time we pick up the phone, someone has a question about it," said assistant manager Emily Stoft. Brian Tavener, Pet World's resident fish expert, fielded dozens of questions all day. He said bottles of the chemical used to treat tank water for chloramine have been flying off the shelf. By noon Monday, Pet World had already sold out of Amquele, one of the most popular brands. Pet store owners typically advise fish owners to treat tap water, but Tavener said most people ignore the advice. "A lot of people have gotten away with not treating their water, but now with the chloramine that's very toxic, they can't get away with it anymore," Tavener said. Pet stores advise fish owners to monitor their fish's breathing to make sure the chloramine has been fully eliminated. If the fish are observed swimming at the top of the tank, it likely means they are having difficulty breathing and the water probably still contains chloramine. Utility officials also notified kidney dialysis centers they need to change their filtration systems. Hunter Williams, a dialysis nurse and regional director of Gambro Acute Dialysis, which provides dialysis services to a number of Tampa Bay hospitals, said the switch from chlorine to chloramine should be no big deal because dialysis centers always test the water they use before beginning a treatment. "One of the biggest things we're trained to watch for is chlorine content in water," he said. "Chlorine content should be less than 0.1 parts per million to be safe. Since chloramine contains chlorine, we're automatically on the lookout. . . . When chlorine comes in contact with blood, blood cells can't carry oxygen anymore. So basically it would be like you had a cherry-colored liquid flowing through your body." More changes are ahead for the area's water. Tampa Bay Water is switching to a mix of groundwater, desalinated seawater and river water around the end of the year. That change will be more significant. Because the water's chemistry will change, the new water could scour minerals from the inside of water pipes, making the water discolored. Water scientists plan to add chemicals to make the water more stable. -- Staff writers Katherine Gazella, Candace Rondeaux and James Thorner contributed to this story.
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Headlines From the Times local news desks |
Pet store employees said they were flooded with calls about the effect that the new treatment will have on fish, and some water-softener company officials said they were inundated, too.
