Tarentum takes steps to resolve DEP water plant violations

Tarentum officials are taking steps to remedy water plant woes after being called out by the state Department of Environmental Protection earlier this year.

Crews are installing automatic hydrant flushers over the next two weeks to improve water quality, specifically in areas with limited circulation.

The water is safe to drink, according to the borough.

Two flushers will be installed near Davidson Street and two behind Duster’s Funeral Home.

The borough in May received its second DEP violation in the past six months related to elevated levels of total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), byproducts formed when chlorine interacts with organic matter.

At that time, Borough Manager Dwight Boddorf said “if there were a serious health risk, DEP regulations would require us to take much more aggressive action and issue immediate public warnings.”

That wasn’t the case, but a notice posted online said people with specific health concerns and those who are pregnant or elderly could be at increased risk from contaminants.

New flushers will help with the water system’s dead ends, where water can stagnate. That was at the root of the DEP violations.

Older sections of the distribution system can have water sitting too long and increase the likelihood of contaminants.

A notice from the borough said that by circulating water more consistently, the automatic flushers will help reduce the formation of TTHMs and other byproducts.

The equipment will flush small amounts of water during overnight hours, between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m.

Officials have been considering how to pay to upgrade the water system for several years. Built in 1934, a lot of the equipment is nearly 100 years old and failing.

A 20-year pipe replacement plan has begun, along with other work to replace outdated pumps and improve electrical systems.

The total cost is expected to be in the tens of millions of dollars, according to a DEP report.