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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2000-05-31, Page 1Serving the communities of Blyth and Brusselsand northern Huron County Volume 16 No. 22 Wednesday, May 31, 2000 75 Cents (70c + 5c gst) Inside this week Brussels welcomes new critter to town School board meets to discuss Brussels Tigers off to a winning start p ! I Chickens audition * at Blyth Festival Festival favourite to appear in this season’s ‘Death’ Family escapes fire Tragedy was narrowly averted early Sunday morning when circumstances resulted in children ■not being trapped by deadly smoke and fire. Biyth Fire Department responded to a call to Gary Caldwell’s of Lot 41, Cone. 2, East Wawanosh Twp. at 3:40 a.m. A fire in an upstairs bedroom filled the second floor with black toxic smoke and tremendous heat, said Fire Chief Paul Josling. Caldwell made repeated attempts to enter the bedroom, fearing children were inside. Fortunately, the children had fallen asleep downstairs and were not in the room, said Josling. Caldwell eventually exited through an upstairs bathroom window onto a roof, jumped to the ground and called the fire department. One adult and one child were rescued from a front roof by the firefighters. Caldwell suffered smoke inhalation due to repeated entry attempts to enter the bedroom and was taken to a London hospital. The other six people in the home were treated and released from Seaforth Community Hospital. Josling said it is suspected the fire started with a malfunction in a stereo system which resulted in toxic fumes from the burning plastics. There is an estimated $40,000 to $50,000 damage to the upper floor of the home. While there were working smoke detectors on the main floor and in the basement, Josling said there was no smoke detector upstairs. The family may have had more notice and time to react if there had been a detector, he added. Caldwell awoke to a crackling sound. After returning home for only a couple of hours, the firefighters were called to a residence in Hullett Twp. at 8:50 a.m., to assist the ambulance crew. Health Unit keeps close eye on water Water sampling raises new awareness With a local public school closed due to water contamination and Walkerton residents still reeling from the e-coli outbreak, local PUC workers are increasingly aware of the need for accurate water testing and proper operation of the system to ensure safe drinking water for village residents. Blyth village foreman Bill Bromley samples the water from one of the village’s wells, a task he undertakes weekly. By Janice Becker Citizen staff East Wawanosh Public School’s well has been added to the list of public water supplies contaminated with fecal coliform. With increased awareness and concern following the outbreak of E- coli bacterial infections in Walkerton over the past week, the Huron County Health Unit initiated their own testing of school and municipal water systems. Those impacted by the Walkerton contamination may include five or six locals possibly affected though testing has not yet determined the source of their illness, Klaus Seeger, senior public health inspector for the health unit said Monday that with all but one sample returned. East Wawanosh Public School was the only one which showed contamination. The school was immediately closed and will not reopen until two clear tests have been received, which was expected by Wednesday (today). Seeger suspects that the abundance of rainfall has contributed to the contamination, saying the school had a dry well with a good sanitary seal. While school wells are not tested regularly, usually at the beginning of the school year, then periodically throughout the season, Seeger said the health unit hopes to schedule a meeting with the school board to discuss setting up regular testing. Though the health unit also .tested municipal well systems, it was just as a confirmation for their own testing, he said. In Brussels, Clerk-Treasurer and PUC manager Donna White said water samples are taken weekly with results faxed to the office within two days. Though Brussels does not chlorinate on a regular basis, the process was begun Friday after the problems surfaced in Walkerton, she said. “It was a preventative measure.” White along with village workers have reviewed the notification procedure for if there was a problem and have become much more aware that things can happen. The village may also consider increased testing over the next few weeks. Blyth PUC works under a similar system, extracting water samples weekly and sending them to MDS Labs in London. Blyth workers manually inject bleach into the system Monday, Wednesday and Friday of each week and have an automatic chlorinator on stand-by if needed. Village Foreman Bill Bromley said the pumps are checked each morning and night for proper operation and the turbidity in the wells as well as before and after the water enters the system. It is checked daily. Quarterly water samples undergo more extensive testing, said Bromley. Both White and Blyth Clerk- Treasurer John Stewart said they had had several inquiries at the office regarding the systems and testing in the municipalities. Stewart said that as long as he has Nominate With few nominations from either community for this year’s Citizen of the Year award, the deadline has been extended to June 30. Only four entries have been submitted for Blyth while Brussels has just two nominees. There are many worthy recipients. It would be a shame for them to miss been with the village, testing has never shown E-coli or total coliform contamination. There have been background readings, sometimes when there is watermain construction or rust in the lines. The health unit said there is nothing harmful in background counts, said Stewart. With MDS Labs, which is the testing facility for both Blyth and Brussels, if there is a concern, the Ministry of Environment is contacted immediately, said Stewart. Private wells can also be affected by contamination. Seeger said dug or shallow wells are not a good source of water in the best of times and should be tested at least monthly for bacteria. Drilled wells are better, but owners should still test every six months and should check the soundness of the seal and ensure ground water is running away from the mouth of the well. More frequent testing would allow homeowners to understand the fluctuation in the water quality, said Seeger. Wells lined with stone or brick are vulnerable at all times while concrete or steel linings provide some security. Seeger said 300 kits have been distributed to date and the lab, which handles all testing from London to Tobermory, is being overwhelmed with samples. He hopes that the tragedy in Walkerton will raise everyone’s awareness on the water quality issue, though he admits more sampling many bring more problems to light. “The problem may have been there for a long time, but if the well hasn’t been tested in 10 years... If nothing else, it should be a wake-up call.” • Seeger also warns pool owners to not leave the hose submerged in the water during fill-up, or afterwards, as it may lead to backwash. A similar effect can be found when mixing insecticides or with pipelines which run to bams from the same well as the house. All outdoor taps should be equipped with back-flow preventers, he said. The item can be picked up at the hardware store. For those wanting to test their water, Seeger said kits are available through the health unit in Clinton, Wingham hospital, Exeter hospital or the Goderich municipal office. Samples must be tested at the lab within 24 hours so immediate return to the health unit is required. Bottles can be dropped off any day, but before 9 ami. on Friday. The health unit also provides information on disinfecting wells, aids in interpreting test results and offers advice on other matters. a citizen the chance to receive the recognition they deserve. Don’t just think about the good these people do for their community. Honour them by entering their name for the award. Forms can be found in this issue of The Citizen or picked up at either of our off ices.