Water issue boiling over in Montgomery
By Judy Pochel For The Beacon-News January 10, 2012 10:44AM
The well at 3041 Fairfield way in Montgomery on January 10, 2012. | Brian Powers~Sun-Times Media
Article Extras
Updated: February 12, 2012 8:08AM
MONTGOMERY — Angry residents are confronting village officials with complaints of children having their hair turn orange, clothing beginning to smell and possible health concerns caused by rusty water coming from village pipes.
For the past few months, rust has been a major topic in the Boulder Hill area after a well malfunctioned and the village started pumping water from other locations. Although the affected area is in the unincorporated Kendall County section of Boulder Hill, residents have a Montgomery address and receive water from the village.
Well 14, near the Foxmoor subdivision in Montgomery, broke down on Nov. 19. Officials immediately changed water direction from other wells to accommodate the needs of residents in the affected area served by the well. The rust is the result of change in water flow through pipes that have not been used recently, village officials said. Rust deposits on those pipes are the initial cause of the problem.
“These are unusual conditions,” said Michael Pubentz, Montgomery public works director.
Nearly a dozen Boulder Hill residents appeared at the Village Board meeting Monday night to make sure the trustees knew what an inconvenience this has caused for them. And they may turn out in force again Wednesday night to receive an update from village officials.
“We can’t elect you, so what choice do we have? We are asking you to make a moral decision,” said resident Michael Way.
Two residents even brought water samples and pieces of damaged softener systems for the trustees to examine.
“Would you want your family to drink, bathe or brush their teeth with dirty, rusty water that smells?” asked Karol Armbruster.
Way said his water bills are escalating, as he tries to flush the pipes in his home.
“We want to know when the problem will be resolved. On my street alone there have been a number of breaks,” he said.
Other residents said in addition to water quality, their appliances are wearing out because of the excessive rust.
“We understand there is a problem and we are not telling anyone that this is our expected water quality,” said Pubentz. “We had to change the flow in the pipe system and it stirred up problems.”
Residents brought independent samples of their water for the trustees to examine. Some readings of iron content ranged from 1.5 to 3.5 milligrams per liter.
“The IEPA doesn’t have a primary standard for iron, but at the 1 milligram level it becomes questionable. I am not aware of a health risk,” said Pubentz.
The IEPA states that the ingestion of iron in drinking water is not directly associated with adverse health effects, so mandatory iron regulations are not in place. Agency officials said that based on “aesthetic issues” a level of 0.3 milligrams per liter is considered high.
Mayor Marilyn Michelini told residents to come back to the Committee of the Whole meeting Wednesday, when she expects to have further information.
“We are working on the problem now and hopefully have resolved to make a better effort to communicate with residents on our website and through press releases,” she said.
The weekly updates will begin immediately with the meeting Wednesday, when a final determination on what caused the well to malfunction as well as the cost to fix it will be determined. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Village Hall, 200 N. River St.
Public works officials have dramatically moved up the completion date for repairs to the well. Original estimates were for mid-March.
“We will make it quicker if possible,” said Pubentz.
Comments Click here to view or make a comment