Westerly Water issues statement on water problem in Pawcatuck Chamber of Commerce names Louis Ziegler Citizen of the Year
Stonington — Five days after two Pawcatuck residents reported that their skin began burning from shower water in their home, the Westerly Water Co. on Tuesday night issued its first public explanation of what happened.
First Selectman Rob Simmons has criticized Westerly Public Works Director Paul Corina and Westerly Town Manager Derrik Kennedy for not telling him about the problem until they sent him an email Saturday and not using the police department’s emergency alert system to inform residents.
As word spread about the problem on Friday and Saturday, residents posting messages on the popular Stonington Community Forum Facebook page expressed concern and confusion about the safety of their water supply. There was no official notification from Westerly about what occurred and Kennedy and Corina did not respond to an email from The Day about the problem. The water company serves Pawcatuck residents.
At its meeting today at 7 p.m. at the police station, the Board of Selectmen is scheduled to discuss a proposed memorandum of understanding with Westerly officials designed to avoid future communication delays.
In a message to the town that was posted on the Town of Stonington website Tuesday night, the water company stated that “unknown concentrations of treatment chemicals may be present in Westerly Water Department’s water supply due to treatment equipment malfunction.”
It recommended that if customers have not used water since Friday, “DO NOT DRINK OR USE THE WATER BEFORE FLUSHING.”
The statement recommended homeowners flush their household faucets for three to five minutes “to discharge water with potentially high concentrations of chemicals from interior plumbing.”
It states that while there is no health-based guideline for pH in drinking water, Westerly water typically has pH of around 7-8 “but some sections of our system may have experienced pH levels above 10 due to a malfunction in treatment equipment.” It said this occurred last Thursday and Friday.
It states that exposure to extreme pH values “may result in irritation to the eyes, skin, and mucous membranes. In sensitive individuals, gastrointestinal irritation may also occur.”
It recommended that if residents experience any of these symptoms and they persist, “you may want to seek medical advice from your health care provider.”
Police said that a teenage girl who lives in a house on Elm Ridge Road first noticed the problem while taking a shower early Friday night and told her father, who also felt the burning sensation. Both declined medical treatment.
The water company explained that due to an equipment malfunction on Friday, a pump “that injects potassium hydroxide into the water system to adjust the pH kept running while the water pump shut off, injecting a larger than normal amount of chemical into the water system. This raised the pH to a higher level than is designed to treat the system.”
The statement said the water system has now been flushed and “all pH values are consistent with design criteria levels after flushing the excess potassium hydroxide out of the system.”
For more information, residents can contact Corina at (401) 348-2561.
Waterford — The Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut has selected Louis Ziegler, chairman of the Chamber Foundation’s board since 2010, as its 68th Citizen of the Year.
“This year it was a no-brainer,” chamber President Tony Sheridan said, adding, “I think Lou is a genuinely decent person, and the role he fills at the foundation kind of comes naturally to him.”
The foundation board, which provides grants to nonprofits that help children, operates separately from the chamber board.
Sheridan noted that the award is about honoring what someone does beyond his or her job to make eastern Connecticut a better place to live.
Ziegler, a Montville native, is executive director of housing for the Mohegan Tribal Housing Authority. He previously worked at the Norwich Bulletin and started participating in its Tommy Toy Fund, which provides toys to children in need around the holidays.
Ziegler became involved with the chamber upon leaving the Bulletin for the Mohegan Tribe. He previously served on the chamber board.
The foundation has grown from mostly supporting the Tommy Toy Fund to last year awarding grants to 38 local organizations. The foundation’s 34th Holiday Gala, held in December, raised more than $122,000.
Ziegler also sits on the Montville Commission on the Aging, is a board member for Eastern Connecticut Housing Opportunities and coaches Montville Little League.
Ziegler was nominated for the honor and then chosen by a selection committee that includes Sheridan, Angela Arnold, Bill Stanley, Lottie B. Scott, Donna Ceccarelli, Dianne Kent and Meredith Diette.
Recent past Citizens of the Year include Mary Lenzini, Neil Ryan and Scott Gladstone, Mitchell Etess and Maria Miranda.
Ziegler will be honored at a dinner celebration this spring; the Chamber will announce the date and venue in the coming weeks. Ziegler lives in Oakdale with his wife and two kids.