[Lyndonville, VT] Residents Warned Not To Use Water: Contaminated

The Staff ^ | 05/16/02 | JEANNE MILES

[survivalforum.com]

Residents Warned Not To Use It For Drinking Or Bathing - Water May Be Contaminated

BY JEANNE MILES, Staff Writer
Thursday May 16, 2002

LYNDON VT - Lyndonville firefighters and members of the Lyndon Rescue squad went door to door last night warning people not to drink their water.

Scott Townsend, operator of the Lyndonville water system, said Wednesday afternoon the water may be a potential risk to health because the system had been tampered with.

"This is serious," Townsend said. "It is nothing to fool around with."

The fire department and rescue squad finished alerting people around 8 p.m., but were called back around 9:30 p.m. to make the rounds again.

According to Lt. George Hacking of the state police, it was not clear the first time that the water should be used only for flushing toilets.

Areas affected by the situation are:

• The Vail Hill area, including Speedwell Estates, and all roads off Vail Hill on the municipal system.

• Lyndon State College and residences on McGoff Hill on the municipal system.

• South Wheelock Road from Cherry Lane west to the end of the municipal line up to, and including, Johnson Trucking.

Townsend believes the vandalism happened sometime Wednesday morning. He said he had been at the site at 4 a.m. checking on a power outage and everything was fine at that time. When he returned to the site later in the day he discovered the lock on the hatch to the reservoir had been chiseled off and the hatch was open.

Townsend said he checks the reservoirs routinely every couple of days. He has worked on the water system for 11 years and this is the first time he has encountered anything like this.

At 6 p.m. last night Townsend was notified by the state that people needed to be told directly because some may not have heard the warning on radio or television.

According to Townsend, the public water system supplies about 200 homes besides LSC.

Firefighters and rescue workers mustered at the Lyndonville Fire Station at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Sgt. Fred Cornell of the St. Johnsbury state police barracks told the group to make contact with as many people as possible. Notices were to be left when no one was found home.

"We want to make sure everyone is notified," Cornell said.

The state of Vermont is the lead agent in this type of situation, said Cornell.

Only the reservoir serving Vail Hill, the college and South Wheelock Road was vandalized. The warning does not extend to the rest of the town or village. People living on Depot Street or Finney Hill can drink their water, Townsend said. He urges everyone to pay attention and listen to and read the notices carefully.

People are warned not to use the water for drinking, bathing, brushing teeth, making ice cubes, or for washing fruits or vegetables. Boiling the water may not be adequate because it is unknown what may have been put in the water. Water from some other source must be used, Townsend stressed.

Townsend said the state will be running tests today to see what, if anything, was put in the water system. The "do not drink" notice will be in effect until the water is determined safe to drink. It may take six to seven days to get the test results back.

Anyone with information relating to this incident is asked to call the state police immediately at 748-3111.

Town and village officials are arranging for drinking water for all those who have been affected by the vandalism. A water supply was scheduled to arrive today at the Fenton Chester Ice Arena in Lyndon Center, where it will be stationed. Town officials are also developing a plan for temporary bathing facilities.

Anyone with questions may call Townsend at 626-5468 during the day, and at 626-8130 in the evening, although he asks that people be considerate and not call too late. Questions may also be directed to the Department of Environmental Conservation Water Supply Division at 800-823-6500 or 802-241-3400.

More on WATER RELATED issues

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[CFW]

now where was that cyanide truck again?

[phasma proeliator]

bump
and ping

[Darth Reagan]

If someone did put something in this water supply, that person isn't thinking very big. No ambition, apparently.

[eno_]

Large reservoirs are pretty much impervious to poisoning - even a truckload of anything would be so dilute as to be indistinguishable from minerals and biological agents water picks up from exposure to the environment. Anyone serious about poisoning a water supply would start small.

[oc-flyfish]

I work for a water agency here in Southern California. It would not be difficult (with the right tools) to do that here.

The only difference is that we would get notified immediately by the monitoring equipment that the latch/door/gate had been opened. Scary stuff... thanks for updating us!

[Quilla]

Scary post. It would take a mind better than Tom Clancy's to come up with all possible scenerios for domestic and foreign terrorist attacks on our country. I suspect (hope) that this incident will alert all municipalities to revamp their safety precautions for water facilities. I pray that this was discovered by a test of some sort rather than by people becoming ill.

[Sloth]

They don't know that it is contaminated at all. The hatch was forced open, that's all. Maybe some teenagers went for a swim.

It would be interesting to know whether there was a drop in the free chlorine residual.

[phasma proeliator]

True... nothing like contaminating Lake Michigan.

and this very well could turn into "NOTHING".

we can hope anyway.

[Quilla]

True and good point. I guess my take on the situation was overshadowed by the thought of the task of contacting every resident - twice. Seems like a pretty extreme reaction if the end result is just some kids taking a joy-swim. I do hope that's the case.

[MrNeutron1962]

"They don't know that it is contaminated at all. The hatch was forced open, that's all. Maybe some teenagers went for a swim. "

In Northern Vermont this time of year? They would have frozen to death. My sister went to Lyndon State College in the mid 1980's. Sleepy little ex-railroad town.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Hmmm... Too early for swimming, unless it was a 'I double dare you to swim in the cold, cold water...' ;0)

[Deguello]

Don't drink the water at Petticoat Junction, I heard that they take baths in their water towers.

[HiTech RedNeck]

It may take six to seven days to get the test results back.

We have GOT to get better testing facilities than this. All it would take would be a nationwide rash of tampering with water works equipment, even with NO poisoning or biological attack, to shut big cities down for days.

[eno_]

Depends. Some cities monitor their water in real time. And, there is an issue of scale. Geese crap in the Quabbin by the truckload. Yet Boston drinks it.

[survivalforum.com]

This may very well turn out to be nothing. I hope so...very much.

Water municipalities as a whole are extremely vulnerable. Contamination based on all of the research I have done (which is quite extensive) is a very big threat.

What simply amazes me is there was a big wake up call due to Y2k threats (tech failures and TERRORISM) and nothing has been done.

Then there was 9/11 and yet nothing has been done to date to secure the water supplies (along with a long list of other things)

I do not have sufficient info to point the finger but what I will say is this...

There is either a massive problem with arogance and negligence or it is deliberate. Either way, there is a big problem and we better fix it, like yesterday!

Franklin

[Flyer]

"Drink you vitamins, honey"

[survivalforum.com]

that is too much! lol

[Recovering_Democrat]

JEFFORDS
&
LEAHY
must've been bathing together again. :-D

[lilsparky]

I'm thinking Stephen King. Have you read "Dreamcatcher"?