Community Education

Water quality testing triggers advisory to Kopachuck, Voyager families and staff

The Peninsula School District recently issued an advisory to parents and staff at Kopachuck Middle School and Voyager Elementary School following water testing conducted over the past year.

Tests show levels of certain contaminants formed as a result of adding chlorine to the system. Those levels, on average, are above the level deemed acceptable by the state Department of Health, according to a letter to staff and families shared with media on Friday, March 1.

“Although the DOH advised us they do not consider this an emergency, you have a right to know what happened and what we are doing to correct the situation,” the letter states. “The DOH has asked us to develop a comprehensive plan and submit this plan to them by May 5, 2024.”

Water safe to drink

Drinking water, including bottled water, often contains small amounts of contaminants. They do not necessarily pose a health risk, according to the advisory.

Drinking water from fountains and food prepared in kitchens at the two schools is safe. The district is not switching to bottled water, said Kris Hagel, executive director of digital learning, who also oversees school safety.

“We will provide bottled water if someone prefers that for now, but our water is also fine to drink,” Hagel said in response to a question from Gig Harbor Now.

When to seek doctor’s advice

DOH guidance indicates the contaminants that are the focus of increased testing in the two schools are of concern only with long-term exposure above the acceptable level or “maximum contaminant level.” Some people, however, may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population.

Immunocompromised individuals can be particularly at risk from infections, according to the letter. Those can include people undergoing chemotherapy treatment, people who have had organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly people and infants. “These people should seek advice about drinking water from their healthcare providers.”

“Parents of kids who are immunocompromised should consult with their physicians to make that decision on their own with the information we shared,” Hagel said.

Sources of contamination

Public water comes from rivers and streams, lakes and ponds, reservoirs, springs and wells, the letter explained. “As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally-occurring minerals and, in some cases, can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animal and human activity.”

The well serving Kopachuck and Voyager is on Washington State Parks property and is maintained in partnership with Peninsula Light Company. Water system managers routinely test the well under regulations prescribed by the federal Environmental Protection Agency to limit amounts of contaminants in public water systems. They also treat the water to maintain quality standards under regulations of the EPA and DOH.

Contaminants in question

Peninsula School District, like other entities with water systems, adds chlorine to its drinking water to kill or inactivate harmful organisms. Chlorine can react with naturally occurring substances and, over time, form compounds known as disinfection byproducts (DBPs).

The most common DBPs associated with chlorine are trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs). The type, “dose rate” and residual concentration of the disinfectant influence  the formation of disinfection byproducts. Other factors are contact time or “water age,” the concentration of organic material, the water temperature and the water chemistry (pH and other organic material in the water).

No conclusive evidence currently links disinfection byproducts in water with cancer or other health effects. But the EPA has a Disinfection By-Products Rule, which is regulated by the DOH. Routine monitoring requirements for systems the size of that serving Kopachuck and Voyager call for annual sampling. If tests show the maximum contaminant level was exceeded, quarterly tests are required for the following year.

Water test results

For trihalomethanes (THMs), the maximum contaminant level established by the EPA is 0.080 milligrams per liter as an annual average. The MCL for haloacetic acids as an annual average is 0.060 milligrams per liter.

“In the fourth quarter of 2022, the results of the annual test were high enough to start the quarterly sampling process,” the district’s letter states. “The DOH is not notified until the next four quarters are completed, and they get the average of those four quarters.”

Those average results showed elevated levels of trihalomethanes (THMs) of 0.0954 mg/L at Kopachuck and 0.1021 mg/L at Voyager. The DOH notified the district on Feb. 1 that the four-quarter average for trihalomethanes was above maximum contamination level.

“We took the immediate steps of reducing the operational levels in the storage tank and adjusting the well pump run time to mitigate the situation as quickly as possible,” the letter states.

Latest tests show improvement

The district did not receive reports during 2023 of quarterly test results, Hagel said. “Our water management company takes the water samples. Then they are sent to a private lab and from there passed along to the Department of Health. We were not notified of any of these results prior to the DOH notifying us of the elevated average.”

On Feb. 21, the district received quarterly results for THMs from testing administered in late January. Those results showed Kopachuck was slightly above the limit at 0.0824 mg/L. Voyager was within the acceptable range at 0.0781 mg/L.

Asked why the district didn’t notify families sooner of the results that triggered the quarterly testing, Hagel said, “The DOH wanted us to notify families by March 5 (2024), and we have been working to resolve the issue as much as possible before notifying staff and families since the DOH had determined that this is not an emergency.”

As noted, the district will submit a comprehensive plan to DOH in May.

Got questions on water quality?

The EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline provides guidelines on appropriate means to lessen infection by microbial contaminants. The hotline number is (800) 426-4791.

Anyone with questions or concerns may contact Patrick Gillespie, PSD’s director of facilities, at (253) 530-3805.