Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
SCOTT ERICKSON, checkered shirt, leads a city commission workshop to address water quality in Ironwood. From left, commissioners Rick Semo and Joe Cayer; City Manager Scott Erickson, Ironwood Public Safety Director Andrew DiGiorgio, Bob Tervonen, utilities manager, Bob Richards, public works supervisor and State of Michigan's Department of Environmental Quality District Engineer Tom Flaminio.
By BRYAN HELLIOS
Ironwood - The Ironwood Women's Club room was filled to capacity Monday evening during a city commission workshop to address the quality of water in Ironwood.
Ironwood City Manager Scott Erickson said the city's water system was built in the early 1900's and served close to 20,000 customers during the "hay-day" of Ironwood's mining days.
"Now we're serving about 5,200," he said adding that the issue is water quality versus water clarity.
Separating the two issues is needed to determine if the water is good quality and is safe, Erickson said adding water clarity is a different issue which looks at water discoloration.
"Right now the city of Ironwood has what's called limited treatment," he said.
The treatment includes chlorination of the water at the pump to inhibit bacteria and the addition of a poly/ortho phosphate, keeping iron and manganese particles suspended in the water.
Water testing quality is conducted under the supervision of the Environmental Protection Agency and Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.
Bob Tervonen, utilities manager for Ironwood, said the water is tested 250 to 300 times per year for heavy metals and pesticides among other things, but they do not test for iron manganese.
"Iron manganese is not required to be tested for," Erickson said.
When manganese is suspended in water the element can settle inside of the water mains over a period of time, causing the water to be discolored.
"It's a limited water treatment process," he said. "We don't have filtration right now."
Tom Flaminio, district engineer for the State of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, said iron manganese is not a regulated EPA containment.
The recommended guideline of 0.02 parts per million for iron manganese is for aesthetic reasons, he said.
"We expect within a few years your hand might be forced as far as manganese removal," Flaminio said.
Six systems in the U.P are currently removing manganese from the water, he added.
Erickson said steps to limit the element from the water are currently being done by scheduled flushing and meeting with residents to identify problems.
"Sometimes it might be the city's system and sometimes it might be the private side of the system," he said.
To eliminate the manganese from the system, Erickson said a water filtration plant would have to be built.
"We're looking at $8 million project," he said.
