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<br />" <br /> <br />" <br /> <br />- <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />Pine River Irrigation District <br />January 26-27, 2000 <br /> <br />Agenda Item 1 Oe. <br /> <br />Nitrate and nitrite-plus-nitrate as nitrogen in excess of health standards has aiso been found <br />locally in parts of the proposed service area. Newborn infants can be affected by high nitrate or <br />nitrite-plus-nitrate as nitrogen concentrations in drinking water, resulting in a condition known as <br />methylglobanemia (blue baby syndrome). <br /> <br />Hazardous levels of methane and hydrogen sulfide have been locally reported and there have <br />been lawsuits concerning the oil and gas industry's impacts on area wells. Anecdotal <br />information suggests that the potential for problems from these substances exist throughout the <br />proposed service area. Any trace of hydrogen sulfide exceeds the recommended limits. <br />Hydrogen sulfide is potentially toxic and lethal. Methane is non-toxic when ingested by humans <br />but presents other safety risks when found in drinking water. Methane gas in water ex-solves <br />when met by the atmosphere. In confined places such as well housings or pits, methane can <br />displace oxygen in the air. These conditions can create a high potential for explosion hazards <br />or asphyxiation. <br /> <br />As La Plata County's population continues to grow, so does the risk to human health from <br />continued dependence on water wells. Increasing residential development means more <br />individual water supplies are vulnerable to contamination not only from naturally occurring <br />substances but also from agricultural activities and increasing numbers of septic systems. At <br />this time there is only one centralized sanitary sewer system serving a small part of Florida <br />Mesa, most of the area uses septic systems. This would suggest the potential for increased <br />contamination of the rural area's drinking water supply. <br /> <br />Fire Protection <br />Three volunteer-based fire districts provide firt'l protection in the proposed service area. For <br />most of this area, it is necessary to haul water to fight fires. Larger fires frequently require <br />multiple trips by tankers to provide sufficient water to extinguish these fires. <br /> <br />Proiect Description <br />Alternatives for domestic water supply within the VWC service area: <br /> <br />1. Individual wells. <br />2. Domestic supply provided by an existing municipal supplier. <br />3. Domestic supply from Lemon Reservoir. <br />4. Domestic supply from Vallecito Reservoir. <br /> <br />Alternative 1, Individual wells, is the primary type of water supply that exists in the service area <br />now. Individual wells are a poor choice because they are frequently poor in both quality and <br />quantity. Increasing numbers of individual wells will produce greater drawdown of the water <br />table and increased potential for contamination by increasing numbers of ever-closer septic <br />system leach fields. Finally, individual wells are not an appropriate solution to providing <br />adequate fire protection for a growing rural community. For these reasons, this alternative was <br />ruled out. <br /> <br />Alternative 2, Domestic supply provided by an existing muniCipal supplier, was considered since <br />both the Towns of Bayfield and Ignacio provide domestic water service. This alternative was <br />ruled out because neither of these towns was interested in extending its water service to the <br />VWC service area. <br /> <br />3 <br />