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Fallon County staff report golf-course chlorine fluctuation; later test returns below state threshold
Summary
Staff discussed a discrepant chlorine reading and sample-handling concerns; project manager later confirmed the state-bound sample returned a reading below 10 (acceptable), and she will forward the results to the state lab and continue local testing to identify cause.
Chair opened the meeting noting golf-course updates from staff. Road and golf-course operators reported a recent discrepant lab result — one sample returned a reading near 75 while others registered 10 — and outlined possible causes including delays between collection and testing, inadequate chilling of samples in transit and a recent change in free chlorine target from 1.20 mg/L to 1.10 mg/L for experimental runs.
Staff member S2 said he had reduced the free-chlorine setpoint briefly and had not sent a follow-up sample to the county’s state-contact, Linda; participants agreed that state-submitted samples should remain at 1.20 mg/L to preserve a consistent record. The group also discussed total coliform counts and the state’s focus on specific microbiological thresholds when approving recreational water use.
Project manager Shannon (S10) later told the commission she received the state-bound sample result and confirmed it was “less than 10,” and she said she would forward the test documentation to the state this week. Shannon said the operator who adjusted chlorine had returned the setpoint to 1.20 mg/L and would perform follow-up sampling and send a sample to the state contact to create a verifiable trend.
Why it matters: public-safety thresholds for bacterial indicators can determine whether turf irrigation water or on-site water systems meet regulatory standards. County staff committed to repeating controlled samples sent to the state lab to verify whether the high reading was an outlier caused by handling, transit time or instrumentation.
What’s next: staff will run consistent local tests, send confirmatory samples to the state lab (Linda) at the 1.20 mg/L setpoint, and compile the pattern for the county file before taking further operational steps.
