After an uncovered investigation, the South Carolina Environmental Law Project calls for the state health agency’s regular inspection of storage tanks. This is to protect drinking waters.
The law firm filed a petition on behalf of residents and organizations concerned, stating that residents could be exposed without this change to water from their taps.
The state Department of Health and Environmental Control would be required to make public systems inspect water tanks once a year and report any findings. SCELP recommended that tanks be cleaned within six month of any contamination being found.
Ben Cunningham, an advocate who filed the petition, stated that we shouldn’t have to depend on the good graces a water supply system to check our own tanks.
The Sumter Item and The Post and Courier carried out an October investigation and discovered that a Summerton water tank was not being cleaned in many years. The tank was filled with sludge that grew several inches in diameter, which eventually fed to a nearby housing development, turning the tank’s white interior black and brown.
Residents who lived in the complex said that discolored water flowed out of faucets, giving shower curtains a brown tint. After washing, white clothes became beige. The tank hadn’t been cleaned in at most 12 years, according to the new water operator for the town. The inside was cleaned in August.
The Post and Courier have launched Uncovered, a joint initiative to work with community outlets in the state to investigate questionable conduct.
SCELP’s petition stated that the Summerton issue exposed a flaw in South Carolina’s current rules. It also referred to laws in other states requiring inspection of the tanks. The petition stated that the review was both necessary and economically justified. It also suggested other changes to drinking water rules to address issues in communities, such as Darlington County and Denmark.
Currently, DHEC as well as the federal government recommend that water utilities inspect inside their tanks. DHEC recommends that they be cleaned and examined every three to five year, in line with the recommendations of the top trade group in water industry. According to a spokesperson, the agency does not use water quality tests for identifying health risks.
DHEC is required to act within 30 days of receiving the petition. In an email, a spokesperson said that the agency was looking forward to reviewing and responding.
Reach Stephen HobbsPhone: 843-998 – 0005. Follow him @bystephenhobbs.
