Gothamist: Turbid Times for City Water

Kojak

Thu, 20 Jul 2006 18:27:48 -0500

And I thought the watershed was supposed to be protected from intrusive development... Still good enough to drink, at least for now.

blechhhh

Thu, 20 Jul 2006 18:02:47 -0500

It doesn't help that New Yorkers are building so many second homes in the watershed areas. Development and large lawns lead to more erosion not to mention fertilizer in the runoff.

shawn

Thu, 20 Jul 2006 17:32:21 -0500

But is all that chemical in the water safe for us to drink? Does Bloomberg drink from tap?

Spud Spudly

Thu, 20 Jul 2006 17:08:44 -0500

Turbidity is another word for suspended solids or particles in the water. It makes the water looks muddy. It's natural and comes from the hillsides and streambeds that feed the upstate reservoirs. It's not considered a health concern at low levels, but at high levels it could interfere with the chlorine that's put in the water for disinfection, and allow bacteria to get through. Turbidy in the City's water system has gotten worse recently because of the large storms and floods that have taken place in the watershed area. The high volume runoff from those storms and floods scours the hillsides and damages the streambeds and so the reservoirs wind up with more turbidity. The City adds alum to the water, which binds with the suspended particles and causes them to settle out of the water. (A lot of other cities do the same, alum is safe and widely used for water treatment.) But the issue here is whether the increased turbidity problem will cause the EPA to force the City to filter its water supply. That would cost billions.

will

Thu, 20 Jul 2006 15:44:37 -0500

kojak, it's clay that makes water cloudy. rtfa.

Jen

Thu, 20 Jul 2006 15:27:16 -0500

I was actually talking about water filtration plants for the city with my dad two weeks ago - I have to send him the article for his opinion. And thanks for pointing out the typos.

k

Thu, 20 Jul 2006 15:21:49 -0500

"their" place.

Kojak

Thu, 20 Jul 2006 15:21:38 -0500

Eat shit and die Joe. Its amazing how good our water system is and how everything else seems to be substandard. What exactly is causing this cloudy water?