The Town of Grantsville, as with all water treatment companies, have mandatory reporting and monitoring requirements to keep in compliance with State Regulations. In a report filed by Chad Drennen, current Operator of the Grantsville Municipal Water Plant on Feburary 28th 2025, the following violations were reported for the months of January 2024 to December 2024.
However, although it was stated that the fault was on the “previous operator,” this was not entirely true. Mr. Drennen began his employment in May of 2024, meaning one half of the year’s violations fell to his responsibility. The violations continued from May until December.
To help Ridgeview Readers better understand the violations, below are the violation descriptions.
“Monitoring, Routine (DBP), Major” is a violation type code used to indicate that a public water system failed to meet monitoring and reporting requirements for disinfection byproducts (DBPs).
Explanation
- DBPs are chemicals that form when chlorine or other disinfectants react with organic matter in drinking water.
- Public water systems are required to monitor disinfectant residuals at various locations in the distribution system.
- The results of these monitoring efforts are reported to the relevant regulatory agency on a regular basis.
- Regular monitoring helps determine if drinking water is safe from microbial contamination.
- Monitoring trends over time can help identify health problems or avoid them before they occur.
A Surface Water Treatment Rule (SWTR) violation for a water treatment plant’s filtration process can occur when turbidity levels are too high.
What is a SWTR violation for filtration?
- A SWTR violation occurs when a water treatment plant’s filtration process doesn’t meet turbidity criteria
- High turbidity levels indicate that the filtration process may not be working properly
- The type of filtration process used determines turbidity limits and monitoring requirements
What are the consequences of a SWTR violation?
- The water treatment plant must provide public notice of the violation
- The type of notice depends on the type of violation
- If a waterborne disease outbreak occurs, the water treatment plant must notify the EPA as soon as possible
What is the SWTR?
The SWTR establishes minimum treatment requirements for public water systems that use surface water as a source
The SWTR’s goal is to reduce the risk of infection to less than one per 10,000 people per year
West Virginia’s water quality standards limit turbidity in streams to prevent excessive suspended matter from entering the water.The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) monitor public water systems for compliance with these standards.
- Turbidity standardsThe EPA’s standard for turbidity in drinking water is 1 nephelometric turbidity unit (NTU).
- Stream turbidity In West Virginia, streams cannot have a turbidity that exceeds 10 NTU above background turbidity.
- Monitoring The EPA and DHHR monitor public water systems for compliance with turbidity standards.
- Corrective action Public water systems must keep records of actions taken to correct violations for three years after the corrective action is completed.
The Long Term 1 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT1ESWTR) builds on the requirements of the Surface Water Treatment Rule (SWTR) and specifies treatment requirements to address Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants in public water systems serving less than 10,000 persons.
MOR – Monthly Operational Reports
