HAMLET — Water Department Superintendent Robert Brown on Tuesday provided further information to the City Council regarding notices mailed by the state to water department customers.
Earlier this summer, the state reported test results showing that the city of Hamlet’s water department was out of compliance with water standards. This was due to above-standard concentrations of trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids.
Trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids are compounds that are generated when chlorine is used to kill organisms in the water such as algae. The concentrations of these chemicals may be elevated if the water department has to treat a large algae bloom with more chlorine.
According to Brown, the state’s data is an average of previous measurements and therefore does not reflect present water conditions. This is because an average can be affected by a single large (or small) number.
Brown’s data showed that for much of the past year, the city water has been in compliance. However, due to spikes in the concentrations of trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids, the average concentration rose above the standards.
Several events have contributed to these spikes according to Brown. The spike in trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids in January of 2021 was caused by a faulty clarifier. Another spike in the spring of 2022 was due to an algae bloom in the Hamlet City Lake, which is used as a water source for the city.
