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Elkton officials press contractor after water-treatment technique violations
Summary
Town leaders heard from Inframark after turbidity exceedances and an underdosing UV system were recorded in November; the contractor outlined immediate fixes and pledged further hardware and alarm changes to prevent repeat violations.
Mayor Robert J. Alt and the Town of Elkton Board on Jan. 7 heard from Inframark officials about a late-November water-treatment "technique violation" that involved elevated filter turbidity readings and an underdosing ultraviolet disinfection system.
David Gaipo, Regional Vice President of Inframark, told the Board the company appreciates the opportunity to address the issue and acknowledged the need to improve best practices. "Logs are maintained and submitted to the appropriate regulators," Gaipo said, adding that "there is no analytical evidence showing cryptosporidium in the water" and that current data do not indicate the water is unsafe.
Nathan Loutz, Regional Manager, said turbidity exceeded allowable limits for five-minute windows in November and that the plant's UV system was underdosing. Loutz described immediate operational steps the contractor has taken, including increasing UV dosing to achieve a 3.0 log removal target and setting alarms to trigger at lower turbidity levels. "Spare equipment is onsite, and automatic filter shutoffs are planned for future implementation," Loutz said.
Jeff McCarron, Area Manager, said plant staff have begun performing manual UV performance calculations six times per day while automated monitoring is refined. Mayor Alt noted that Elkton began cryptosporidium treatments in 2017 and stressed the town's goal is to eliminate future violations and restore prior water-quality recognition.
Town Administrator Lewis H. George, Jr. clarified at the meeting that chlorination does not affect cryptosporidium, underscoring the technical distinction between disinfection approaches. A community member, Mark Turnbull, recommended installing a large pipe at the entrance to a nearby raceway to reduce turbidity; Inframark said it was open to further discussions about that engineering option.
The Board did not take formal enforcement action at the meeting; Inframark described a mix of near-term operational controls and planned capital or automation changes as its corrective path.
