State declares Eatonville’s water safe, despite tests

Weeks after it was announced that recent testing found the level of a contaminant in Eatonville’s water supply to be slightly above the limit set by the Environmental Protection Agency, residents remain concerned, even though state officials say the water is safe to drink.

Carlos Tola, operations manager for wastewater treatment company Biometrics Utilities Consultants, told town leaders that trihalomethanes (THMs) were found in the water at a Jan. 17 town hall meeting. THMs can occur naturally in water that has been treated with chlorine, he told officials, adding that many other cities across the state have faced similar problems and have been able to lower the levels of the contaminant.

According to Tola, the water is safe but, in the most recent tests, his company found between 0.082 and 0.089 milligrams of THMs per liter in the town’s water. EPA regulations say levels of the contaminant should not surpass 0.080 milligrams per liter.

Still, in an email statement provided by Sarah Fayed, spokesperson for the state Department of Environmental Protection, officials said compliance with EPA standards is based on yearly averages, not a single test. So a full data set from last year can paint a more accurate picture of the small town’s water safety.

While the state agency did not share the locations for the two Eatonville test sites, state data showed that last year the THMs in the water were measured every quarter.

The THMs exceeded EPA limits twice at one site and once at another, however, the average levels of THMs at both sites for the full year remained below the limit. One site averaged 0.074 milligrams per liter and the other measured 0.067 milligrams per liter last year, the data show.

That alone deems the water safe, the agency statement said.

According to the EPA, prolonged exposure to THMs can increase the risk of illnesses that can impact the liver, kidney and central nervous system or even cause cancer.

But the Florida Department of Environmental Protection statement added that the limits on

THMs — also referred to as “disinfectant byproducts” because they occur as a side effect of water cleaning agents like chlorine — are set purposely low so that municipalities have time to respond before residents begin to see negative health outcomes because of the contaminant.

“These strict standards are established to protect the public health and in the case of Disinfection Byproducts, are calculated so that a person would need to drink two liters of water per day in excess of the standard for 70 years before having an increased chance of adverse health effects,” the statement said. “This allows drinking water facilities the necessary time to determine appropriate treatment needs, secure funding and complete any required corrective actions should a violation occur.”

Julian Johnson, a longtime Eatonville resident who was listening when the water concerns were discussed at a recent town hall, said he does not drink the tap water in Eatonville, opting instead for bottled water. He finds little comfort in state officials’ assurance that the water is safe to drink.

“We don’t drink the water,” he said. “I don’t feel safe regardless of what the state says.”

He said history is rife with examples of either negligence or outright lies from government and health officials that have put the health of Black communities like Eatonville

in jeopardy.

He pointed to historic instances like the 1932 Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment that caused hundreds of Black men infected with the disease to go untreated for decades. More recently, other predominately Black cities like Flint, Michigan, and just last year, Jackson, Mississippi, also faced water emergencies after signs of an impending crisis were ignored for years. Neither city’s water issues were caused by THMs.

“They have told us many things have been OK and it hasn’t,” he said, adding that he still had questions about whether preexisting conditions like diabetes, which is more common among Black people, would cause the risks associated with THMs to be more severe or be visible with less exposure.

Tola’s company has already started to flush the town’s water system to reduce the THMs. At the last meeting, town council members approved Tola’s company to begin evaluating whether a more aggressive approach is needed to clean the water. If so, the next step will be to build a new system that treats the water with a mixture of chlorine and ammonia, which should clean the water while reducing the risk of THMs.

In the meantime, Eatonville Mayor Angie Gardner said last month that she still feels safe drinking the water and her office will prioritize keeping Eatonville residents informed on future water testing results in hopes of increasing transparency and trust.