Expert gives Pines suggestions on improving water quality

An expert on water technology has a long list of suggestions on how to improve the quality of Pembroke Pines’ water.

Chandra Mysore, the water and wastewater technology director for Jacobs, an Atlanta-based utilities consulting firm, was hired by the city in May.

The move came after state testing last November revealed elevated levels of a disinfectant by-product in the city’s water supply.

He submitted to the city an early draft of his report in mid-July and the final version last week. The document was loaded with technical jargon and testing methodology, but there were several clear recommendations:

Install automated water monitors that detect water quality in real time and can alert staff when the water quality is not within acceptable standards. Flush the system more often. Minimize the length of time that water sits in the system.

"Regarding the safety of the water, it is a subjective question,” said Mysore. “For some people it may be safe … the reason that I say that is for infants or immuno-compromised people, it is best to contact their physician or local health provider.”

Mysore — who, with his team, put together a 77-page report that contained short- and long-term recommendations — said he would have no hesitation in drinking the water.

The spike last November in Trihalomethane, or TTHM’s, a disinfectant byproducts, appears to have been an anomaly, he added. Mysore said subsequent testing has revealed that the levels of TTHM’s have since lowered to within standards set by the state and federal government.

Trihalomethane is used to disinfect drinking water, but in high levels and with prolonged exposure, it can carry health risks, according to the state’s Department of Health, which detected the high level of the chemical at the Rose Price Park station, one of six stations that make up the city’s water system.

"The city has implemented a lot of changes we have recommended, and so it should be fine," Mysore said. “The disinfectant by-product issue that was noticed in November seems to be a temporary phenomenon because we didn't see higher numbers in the water thereafter."

An average of 12 million gallons of water, drawn from the Biscayne Aquifer, flows from the city’s water treatment system to homes and businesses every day.