CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia American Water released the results Thursday of a year-long comprehensive water quality study of the Kanawha River.
The $1.3 million study collected water quality and sediment data to evaluate the river as a potential alternate source of supply for its Kanawha Valley Water Treatment Plant on the Elk River.
A WVAWC release called the study, which ran from June 2015 to June 2016, the “most comprehensive water and sediment study ever undertaken of the Kanawha River.”
Hundreds of samples were analyzed by certified laboratories for more than 150 parameters, including Federal Safe Drinking Water Act primary and secondary drinking water standards, West Virginia’s “Category A” Water Quality Standard and parameters on the U.S. EPA’s Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule 3 list.
Due to past industrial, chemical and mining use of the Kanawha River, the study also examined more than 50 sediment samples for organic carbon, metals, volatile or semi-volatile organic compounds and other materials to identify contaminants in the river bottom that could potentially be released back into the water.
“This level of sampling and analysis far exceeded typical requirements for the evaluation of a drinking water supply,” said company president Jeff McIntyre. “However, to seriously consider the Kanawha River as backup supply for our largest water system, sound and comprehensive empirical data was necessary – particularly with its history of industrial use and lack of historical water quality data.”
The 25,000 data points resulting from this study identified only 10 of more than 150 parameters above the associated water quality standards, which represent less than 2 percent of the total number of samples collected.
Many contaminants can potentially be removed through conventional water treatment processes, but the company said additional treatability studies would be required to know if the water can be treated to meet all drinking water standards.
The full 585 page study can be read online at the WVAWC website.