Spencer (Massachusetts) residents ordered "DO NOT DRINK THE WATER." (or come in contact w/it)

[Sapphire Blue]

Spencer residents warned not to drink municipal water
By Bradford L. Miner TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

SPENCER— Do not drink the water. Do not use it for bathing or washing clothes until further notice.

That was the order issued to all customers of the Spencer water system today when a malfunction at the water treatment plant on Meadow Road introduced an excessive amount of sodium hydroxide into the town water system.

As a result, a "mass casualty incident" was declared this morning by Fire Chief Robert P. Parsons.

Some residents were transported to local hospitals, including St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester. Those with less serious burns were being transported by ambulance to a temporary decontamination center established at the East Brookfield fire station.

Margaret Bacon, superintendent of the Utilities and Facilities Department said the water, contaminated by a buffering agent to raise the pH level, should only be used for flushing toilets.

Town administrator Carter Terenzini said an excessive amount of sodium hydroxide had been released into the water system as a result of a system malfunction at the water treatment plant and pump station on Meadow Road.

Continued @ http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070425/ALERT01/70425003

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

1. Why was the water system using lye?

[kestrel91316]

4. Sodium hydroxide is an alkaline agent used for adjusting/buffering pH.

Just like in college chemistry class.

[MADem]

6. They use it in low concentrations to regulate the PH balance, apparently

That's what the news said, anyway.

But I guess some asswipe used too much, or a valve got stuck open, or something.

So everyone woke up, took a shower, and felt like this lady at the end of the film:

I'm mellllllllllting!!!!!!!!

[slutticus]

12. They probably use it to precipitate heavy metals out of the water

Many metal hydroxides are insoluble.

It's a standard wastwater treatment step.

[Tesha]

33. The pH of the supplied water is driven slightly basic...

The pH of the supplied water is driven slightly basic
in part so it won't leach lead out of old plumbing
systems (from lead solders, the occasional lead
supply line still in service, and the like).

Tesha

[aquart]

2. "Mass casualty incident"? How many is "mass"?

[MissB]

14. Probably anyone who got up early enough to take a shower

before they were able to get the word out. Quite a few working peeps get up early and take early showers.

[Zynx]

35. Anyone who touched it or drank it. NaOH is supremely nasty.

It feels slippery. That's your skin dissolving.

[halobeam]

3. kick and rec... this is truly messed up.

[Theres-a]

5. Kick for my MA neighbors!

This isn't all that far from here...

[donsu]

7. nowadays it pays to stay prepared for a Cat. 6 event

re: drinking water

[lonestarnot]

25. Time to either come out fighting or hang it up and wither!

[goclark]

8. Thanks and "Hi" to Sapphire Blue nt

[Sapphire Blue]

23. ..

:hi:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

9. NaOH is a buffering agent?

News to me. If people are going to the hospital, I'd expect a lot of eye injuries.

[paparush]

10. Wonder who will get promoted for this?

[tmlanders]

11. They use lye to protect the water mains/pipes

And it looks like a valve got stuck open...

[newyawker99]

15. Hi tmlanders!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Sapphire Blue]

22. Hi, tmlanders! Welcome to DU!

[MissB]

13. Something similar happend in my mil's town about 8 years ago.

I'm not sure if it was the same chemical or not, but she did suffer burns after taking a shower early in the morning before they go the word out to residents.

[loudsue]

16. AMERICANS ARE NO LONGER PROTECTED IN ANY AREA!!

There IS no government looking out for WE, THE PEOPLE!! I'm so fucking sick of this!! We used to have a REAL government, and it used to be OUR government!

This, instead, is life under republican control. IT CAN KILL YOU!!

Note to those in Massachusetts: We're ALL getting burned by republican government.


:kick::kick::kick:

[undergroundpanther]

17. Don't you get it y'all

EVERYTHING is CONTAMINATED.Why does the FDA have no teeth? I think because the corporates know it's futile to even have the FDA because the EARTH is Poisoned, contaminated,.And becoming more so everyday.You can shop organic or whatever but still industrial runoff,other toxins in the air ,water and Earth still rain down on your home grown pure produce grown in soil that is already contaminated by industrial wastes. The Earth can only take so much toxic crap before it ceases to be able to clean itself of chemical wastes and other toxins of "industry".Corporations have ruined humanity,and this planet.It began as if it was so wonderful,a way to sustain way too many of us,for too long,we try to beat nature but end up making ourselves sick. There are too many consumers for the planet to support without chemical/industrial intervention,to push nature to produce more than it can ,problem is that intervention called industrial civilization is now killing the Earth and US.And the future will not be beautiful we lost our chance to fix this years ago.While people were calling Carter all sorts of shit when he warned us in that announcement about oil that tanked his career,and what did we do vote in an asshole who said soothing lies and here we are fooling ourselves again thinking we can stop this by doing band aid remedies for a massive sucking chest wound like using fluorescent light bulbs and we of course throw out the plastic wrappers in the trash the bulbs come in.Its pathetic this situation and tragic to epic proportions but we were warned and we neglected to listen and instead we kept on consuming like nothing was happening.Now we wanna change course? I fear it is too late.The damage is done. I know people don't like hearing this. But if they don't like it an incident like what happened to Spencer's water or melamide pork, or a chemical spill,a toxic algae bloom or some such industrial fuckup maybe made years ago (like the arsenic buried under a playground years ago in Baltimore making peeople sick NOW) Tragedy of corporate toxins will get around to affecting YOU too.

BALTIMORE - Health officials closed a park after tests showed arsenic levels more than 100 times higher than is considered safe. The park, which had often been used by youth sporting events, is next to an industrial site where arsenic was used to manufacture pesticides until 1976.The Health Department locked the gates of Swann Park, which is south of Federal Hill, and distributed fliers warning neighbors about arsenic, a cancer-causing agent.

More places Feeling the toxins
http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/salton/NewRToxicPathtoUSA.html
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-17612913.html
http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/39723/
http://www.zmag.org/nov00cohen.htm

[karlrschneider]

18. Well, it's unfortunate but hardly something malevolent.

I do some work with our local Rural Water District and there's a fair bit of prognostication (and luck) in estimating how much of the various chemicals will be needed downstream...mostly the chlorine levels which we often 'err' on the side of safety. It makes the water smell like a swimming pool but it kills bacteria and it isn't harmful. But this incident looks like some human mistake or possibly a hardware malfunction. Stuff does break, as anybody with a computer knows.

[undergroundpanther]

20. I never said it was malevolent

I said it was a symptom of what is happening all over accidents happen GM rice"escapes" a industry that buried arsenic years ago makes people sick today..What I was trying to say is,Our Earth is polluted and accidents with nasty chemicals will hurt people and make things more polluted .Be it a real unfortunate accident or a hushed up deliberate thing,does not matter either way the situation is is bad when toxic chemicals get into the drinking water supply it pollutes more water in the world making water on earth a bit more toxic for all of us. I hope the people in Spencer take care..and the people hurt recover.

[karlrschneider]

26. I was simply commenting on this particular situation. I definitely agree

that we are awash in manufactured chemicals and it's a very bad thing. In general, these events aren't a result of -individual- malevolence as I probably didn't say very well...they are symptomatic of a very high level of "I don't-give-a-shittedness" which not only the moguls of industry are guilty of...those who invest in and profit from their enterprises deserve a share of blame as well.

[Sapphire Blue]

21. Since you responded to the OP, did you read something in the article that suggested malevolence?

[karlrschneider]

24. I did not reply to the OP.

Check the thread. I directed my comments ONLY to this particular incident...I agreed with the poster to whom I DID reply in general.

[Sapphire Blue]

27. You DID reply to the OP; perhaps YOU should check the thread. Here, I'll help you:

karlrschneider Donating Member (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Wed Apr-25-07 04:48 PM
Response to Original message {{{That would be the OP}}}

18. Well, it's unfortunate but hardly something malevolent.

I do some work with our local Rural Water District and there's a fair bit of prognostication (and luck) in estimating how much of the various chemicals will be needed downstream...mostly the chlorine levels which we often 'err' on the side of safety. It makes the water smell like a swimming pool but it kills bacteria and it isn't harmful. But this incident looks like some human mistake or possibly a hardware malfunction. Stuff does break, as anybody with a computer knows.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x752257#756014

[karlrschneider]

29. I see that is how the thread came out, I didn't notice that but I clicked 'reply'

at the bottom of post #17 by undergroundpanther. And that is who I meant to reply to. Often the DU software farkles the labels on posts. Many times a reply will be labelled as "original post" when it obviously is not. I wasn't trying to start a fight, I just mentioned that sometimes shit happens. If you think that's wrong, feel free to describe a system where nothing ever goes wrong and we can carry on from that point. (DU's software isn't one of them)

[Sapphire Blue]

32. Your reply didn't seem to make any sense as a reply to the OP; thanks for explaining that...

... it wasn't meant to be a reply to the OP. :hi:

[SoCalDem]

19. Did anyone warn the aquatic life?

fish...frogs..turtles..newts..salamanders.. wading birds..migrating birds..

just wondering:cry:

[RestoreGore]

31. Yes, where do they think flushed water goes? n/t

[Catherine Vincent]

28. Ugh! That's scary.

[RestoreGore]

30. Scary. We are Poisoning This Planet

And ourselves. Can nothing be trusted?

[Sapphire Blue]

34. 4/26 UPDATE - Water still not safe to use

Thursday, April 26, 2007
Water still not safe to use
By Bradford L. Miner TELEGRAM. & GAZETTE STAFF

SPENCER— Town water is still not safe to use, but fewer ambulances are racing east on Route 9 to Worcester hospitals today, the decontamination center in East Brookfield is closing and one popular fast-food restaurant has been allowed to reopen in the wake of this week's release of sodium hydroxide into the town's municipal water system.

At a 10 a.m. press conference at the Spencer Rescue Squad headquarters, Town Administrator Carter Terenzini said 100 people had been transported to the decontamination triage center in East Brookfield as of this morning and the town had received several calls from residents who were yet unaware of the water problem.

Mr. Terenzini said he hoped the “do not use” order from the Department of Environmental Protection could be modified or rescinded by day’s end.

(snip)

Mr. Terenzini said it was too early to speculate on how the sodium hydroxide feed pump malfunctioned, but said it did not appear to be a deliberate act. Likewise, he said it was too early to calculate the economic impact of the water emergency to local business or the town.

He said those with claims for property damage or personal injury as a result of using the water with excessive amounts of lye should contact the town accountant’s office at town hall who would forward the information to the town’s insurance company, the Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Agency.

With respect to the mass casualty incident, Mr. Terenzini said as of 10 a.m. the emergency was declared over and ambulances and other resources brought in from across the state were dismissed.


Continued @ http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070426/ALERT01/70426003

[Yavin4]

36. Isn't This An Example of Not Spending Enough on Infrastructure

Oh, yeah, I forgot. We have to cut taxes and fight a war at the same time.

[Tesha]

37. Essentially, yes.

It was almost certainly an ordinary mechanical failure,
but you can minimize such failures by doing better
routine maintenance and by building in more redundancy
(and cost, of course) in the first place.

So yes, Spencer didn't spend enough on infrastructure,
and now the lie has been revealed.

Tesha