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Cornish council orders new water tests, leans on state expert as town weighs costly filtration options
Summary
After a confirmed coliform (E. coli) positive sample that triggered a state penalty and system-point penalty, Cornish officials said they will resample wells, consult a state filtration specialist, and consider reverse-osmosis or alternative designs while evaluating vendor work and costs.
Cornish town officials said they will resample their water sources and involve state filtration staff after a recent confirmed coliform/E. coli detection that added penalty points to the town’s system rating.
Speaker 1, who led the discussion, said the town received a state letter “dinging us with 50 points” because of a confirmed coliform positive sample and that the points remain on the system for at least a year, potentially lowering the system’s approval rating. To reduce uncertainty before selecting a long-term treatment, the council agreed to resample the affected well and run a broader battery of tests, including total dissolved solids (TDS), chloride, manganese and metals. “What her suggestion was…is to resample the picture well,” Speaker 1 said, noting the original sample had been taken by an intern and the town wanted independent verification.
Sarah Page, a state filtration specialist referenced by Speaker 1, has offered to help the town and to share examples of small cities that successfully use reverse-osmosis (RO) systems. Speaker 1 said those references included other towns in Colorado and Utah and that the state’s involvement would provide an independent review of filtration needs.
Council members emphasized caution about contractor design and oversight. Speaker 1 and other members criticized some remote design work and argued the engineer who writes plans should inspect the local site. “You need boots on the ground,” Speaker 1 said, adding that a visiting engineer who sees slopes, pipe runs and local conditions is better positioned to produce a durable plan.
Technically, the council flagged chloride at about 362 (as displayed in the lab printout) and TDS near 1,250 in preliminary readings; Speaker 1 said EPA guidance places TDS reference values nearer to 1,000 and that the state flagged manganese and TDS together as the primary concerns. The council agreed to wait for the full lab results expected the next day before committing to expensive equipment. Speaker 1 said the town is prepared to proceed if results justify it but wants independent confirmation before signing further contracts.
The council discussed options short of a full-scale RO install: resampling, exercising (flushing) the well to clear construction debris, running shorter targeted tests (chloride, TDS, manganese) more frequently, or retaining a second engineering consultant to review Horrocks/CRS plans. Speaker 5 (a guest) recommended checking contract terms for ownership of design documents and suggested adding a second consultant to avoid starting completely from scratch.
Speaker 1 said the town has already spent money on the well house and associated infrastructure and is conscious of cost risk. He asked staff to circulate both the new and previous lab reports so council members could compare results and decide whether to proceed with the state’s recommendations, pursue a local vendor change, or adjust the scope. The council did not vote on a filtration contract at this meeting and instead directed staff to obtain the pending results and follow up with the state specialist.
Next steps: staff will share the resample results with the council when available and will pursue short-term targeted tests and follow-up calls to other towns using RO systems. The council discussed the possibility of a site visit from state staff and additional vendor consultations prior to committing to a final design.
