Temporary waterline to offset well woes

The state and county will provide an alternative to contaminated water in the Lake Grady area. But residents remain upset.

By ANGELA MOORE

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 11, 2000

TAMPA -- Beleaguered residents in Riverview dealing with wells contaminated with coliform and fecal coliform bacteria got a little good news from state and county officials Thursday night.

The Department of Environmental Protection will foot the bill to extend a temporary waterline to the neighborhoods around Lake Grady.

The Hillsborough Water Department will get to work immediately, officials said, working around the clock if necessary to provide a temporary fix for residents with undrinkable and unusable well water.

The temporary lines will be built in the next 60 days and will run through the affected neighborhoods and hook up to outdoor spigots.

County commissioners Ronda Storms, Chris Hart and state Rep. Sandy Murman, along with county and state health and water officials, met with residents Thursday night at the Riverview Civic Center.

Without success, the politicians tried to buoy the spirits of the residents with news of the DEP deal and with an offer from the Zephyrhills bottled water company to deliver drinking water free of charge.

One by one, Storms, Hart and Murman detailed the progress being made.

"To see so many government agencies in one room working toward a solution," Murman said. "Really, it sent shivers up my spine."

When Murman officially announced that a temporary county waterline would be extended to the area, Hart asked for a round of applause. The panel and other officials in the crowd applauded heartily. Most residents sat with their arms folded across their chests. Their expressions did not change.

Fifty-five percent of the area's well water is now non-potable. The perceived culprit for the unusually high levels of contamination is a sinkhole in nearby Lake Grady that punched a hole in the aquifer and allowed lake water inside.

Dozens of wells became full of lake water, which contains runoff from surrounding pastures and fields and is therefore full of bacteria, said Dr. Doug Holt from the Department of Health. The sinkhole must be patched and filled with concrete, sand and clay to rebuild the barrier between the lake and the aquifer. The patching process could take days or weeks.

When residents got the chance to ask questions, many of them vented their anger, demanding that someone be held accountable for the lake's contamination. Many residents believe that someone is dumping sewage in Lake Grady.

"I've asked the health department and the EPC and I'm asking again," said Boyette Road resident Herman Rainey. "Does anyone know where the contamination's coming from to begin with?"

The questions took on an accusatory tone from there.

The anger, Holt said, is misdirected. Lake water everywhere is full of contaminants and bacteria, and no one would use it as drinking water. Aquifer water is usually clean, naturally filtered by sediments.

"Their anger is a natural reaction to something they can't control," Holt said. "They can't build a fence or lock a door to stop a sinkhole from letting bacteria in."

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