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Worth County staff report tower valve leak, DNR monitoring issues and manganese sampling oversight
Summary
County water staff described an overflow caused by a leaking valve at an old tower, discussed ongoing water-hardness targets with a casino customer, and outlined a Department of Natural Resources notice of monitoring/recordkeeping issues including a manganese sampling omission.
Worth County water system staff told supervisors on Thursday that a leaking valve on an older water tower led to an overflow incident over the holidays and that the county is working with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to resolve monitoring questions.
The operator reported that the old tower ppeared to be isolated and drained after staff found a valve leaking by during cold weather. The operator said he would continue to monitor the hydrant at the base of the tower for signs of continued leak-by and that, if the valve continues to leak, it will need to be addressed "sooner rather than later." The operator apologized for being out of state and not available when the overflow occurred; supervisors said county staff and on-call personnel responded to stop the flow.
Staff also reported receiving a notice of violation from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources related to monitoring and reporting. The operator said some of the flagged monitoring items stemmed from coding or clerical issues at the lab in Newton and from a misunderstanding about manganese sampling requirements. Staff said they test manganese daily but had not submitted the annual manganese sample during the required third quarter; the operator said that based on prior guidance they had only submitted manganese to the lab when results exceeded 0.3 (units not specified). The DNR has allowed the county to submit a replacement sample and staff are preparing a response.
On finished-water quality, casino maintenance staff told county personnel they would like finished-water hardness in a 30—0s parts-per-million range; county staff proposed using an internal operating target of about 70 (units not specified) as a reasonable plant output while suggesting that customers wanting lower hardness might need additional on-site softening. Staff said increasing regeneration to achieve much lower hardness would raise water use and operational expense.
Staff also discussed iron-filter sizing, a chemical feed for iron control, and an operator contract review; the county said it will issue a request for proposals for operating services to stay competitive.
Why it matters: The DNR notice and the tower valve issue both affect regulatory compliance and the reliability of the county rinking-water system. Staff indicated they are working with the DNR and will provide replacement sampling and responses as allowed.
Next steps: Staff will submit replacement manganese sampling per DNR guidance, complete the DNR response with county staff and return updates on any valve repairs and filter-sizing work.
