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Killingworth officials report water system working at KES; some faucets to be retested, town to hold town hall
Summary
Town staff told selectmen the new water system at KES is operating and the tanker was removed, but five faucets tested above action levels and will be retested; officials said the primary storage tank appears intact, change orders are being tallied and a town hall with DPH and Connecticut Water is planned to update residents.
Killingworth selectmen were told the new water system at Killingworth Elementary School is in operation and the temporary tanker has been removed, but several faucets returned test results above action levels and will remain under continuous retesting.
Town officials reported at the selectmen meeting that the system was brought online about a week and a half ago and students are using classroom faucets while the town phases out older water fountains. "All the testing has come back clean under the action levels," a town official said, but added that five faucets did return results above the town's action thresholds; staff believe the elevated results may be due to residuals in the fixtures and said those faucets will be monitored and retested until levels normalize.
Officials said testing did not show contamination in the primary storage tank behind the principal's office — a finding that, if confirmed, would avoid a costly tank replacement. Change orders related to project repairs are being tallied and will be brought to the selectmen as a final change-order package.
The town is also exploring alternatives to installing an on-site filtration system, including options discussed with Connecticut Water and outside consultants. Town staff said some of those conversations occurred in executive session and staff will seek a way to brief selectmen further without running afoul of executive-session rules.
Selectmen noted a recent federal change that relaxed the most stringent national test standard for the contaminant in question and that the current system was installed to meet the test levels the town is using. The town plans a public town hall to explain test results, next steps and available protections; officials said they will invite representatives from the Department of Public Health and Connecticut Water to participate.
The selectmen did not vote on any new spending related to the project at the meeting; staff said any needed action will be presented at a future session once final costs and options are clearer. The meeting record shows the water-system discussion took place during the POS/KES project update and related follow-up entries in the agenda.
