The Peru Gazette

Courtney Tetrault (L) and Greg Timmons

By John T. Ryan

“Top-Tier” is the description Clinton County Health Department Director of Environmental Health and Safety John Kanoza uses to describe the Town of Peru’s current water quality. Kanoza said, “It was a long time coming, but Peru made ten small to medium upgrades that resulted in a comprehensive improvement to its system. Today Peru’s water compares favorably with the top systems in the county. It’s a top-tier system.” Peru Town Supervisor Peter Glushko agrees stating, “We want our residents to know that our water is great! They don’t have to purchase water from other sources.” Improving the system’s capabilities, equipment and filtration building cost just over $3 million. (Click here to see all our Peru Gazette photos)

Interim Water Superintendent Courtney Tetrault and former Superintendent Greg Timmons are proud of all the system improvements especially the upgrades at the Reservoir Road filtration plant and the system’s two water towers. When the Peru Gazette toured the filtration plant last Friday Tetrault pointed to a computer unit monitor saying, “This is the heart of the system. When Bill Downs, our Plant Operator, looks at this he can monitor and adjust the water filtration process from the reservoir through the filtration process including our two water towers.” Tetrault pointed out that Downs, backup operator Chris Martineau and Tetrault himself can also monitor the system 24 hours a day on their laptop computers. Tetrault said, “The automation and constant monitoring also cut down on our department’s overtime and on our chemical use.” Greg Timmons added, “The improvements have also doubled our system capacity. We’re ready for additional water users.”

In addition to installing the computerized control system, contractors dredged the reservoir; increased the size of filtration building by approximately 900 square feet to accommodate a computer room, restroom, lab, generator room and electronics room. Filtration media and backwashing procedures were upgraded. Tower piping and water treatment processes were also improved.

Peru’s 780 water district users require about 150,000 to 180,000 gallons of water daily. Peru’s water is primarily sourced from Furnace Brook, which enters a reservoir about a quarter mile west of the filtration plant. Water first undergoes a coagulation process to clump any unwanted particles. It then passes through three tanks: tanks 1 and 2 contain filtration media; the third contains activated carbon. After the water leaves the third tank, chlorine is added and the water is piped to the nearby outside storage tank where it undergoes mixing and chlorine contact time. When needed, it enters the main line for transport to several users and the in-hamlet water tower. Further mixing takes place in the 375,000-gallon in-hamlet tower and chlorine can be added if needed.

Greg Timmons knows the system very well given his 40 years of Water Department experience. He explained, “Our water met all the Health Department requirements when the plant was put into service in 1995. However, as time passed regulations were tightened and in about 2000 to 2002 tests revealed that Peru’s water exceeded the allowed limit of trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids, both by-products of the chlorination process.” Timmons added, “With the new system even the reading that we took after the leaves fell, which is always our highest reading, was much lower than we have to be.” Prior to the system upgrade water district users received quarterly Violation Notices stating that anyone consuming the water might experience increased health risks. Fortunately, the Town of Peru mailed its last Violation Notice in the fall of 2014. Violation Notice Water 4th Q 2013

At 8:10 a.m. 11/9/15 two sentences of this story were edited.