WHAT’S COMING OUT OF YOUR TAP?

By Jack Etzel

When you turn on the kitchen faucet, do you ever wonder how clean and safe the water is that’s coming out of it? Did ALCOSAN do its job? Did the water treatment plant supplying your house do its job?

To find out, North Hills Monthly Magazine talked to the director of the Allegheny County Health Department, Dr. Bruce W. Dixon, who has held that position since 1992. Dr. Dixon is also an associate professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Dixon is a 1965 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He completed his internship and residence at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, and served a two-year stint as a captain in the United States Air Force Medical Corps. He was a member of the faculty at Duke until 1975, at which time he joined the University of Pittsburgh as an assistant professor of medicine.

North Hills Monthly Magazine: Dr. Dixon, we’re aware that a settlement was reached last year among federal, state and county agencies to reduce the discharge of untreated sewage into our rivers. What is the status of that today?

Dr. Bruce Dixon: The Allegheny County Sanitary Authority (ALCOSAN) is paying a $1.2 million civil penalty for decades of illegal sewage discharges into Pittsburgh area rivers and streams. Under a federal consent decree, ALCOSAN will make comprehensive, system-wide upgrades by September, 2026, that will greatly reduce sewage overflows and ensure long-term compliance with the Federal Clean Water Act.

ALCOSAN also has agreed to take the lead in a required, year-long municipal flow monitoring program that will provide much needed data for sewer improvements and to implement a number of supplemental environmental protection programs for the benefit of the communities it serves.

NHMM: Just how bad is it?

Dr. Dixon: All discharges during our region’s numerous wet weather events each year allow an estimated 16 billion gallons of untreated sewage and storm water to flow into the region’s rivers, contaminating them with bacteria, viruses, other pathogens and harmful pollutants. These contaminants degrade river water quality, harm aquatic life and have the potential to threaten the public health with diseases that include giardiasis, gastroenteritis, cryptosporidiosis, salmonellosis and other illnesses and conditions affecting the upper respiratory tract, eyes, ears and skin.

This landmark agreement with ALCOSAN, in conjunction with corrective action plans previously negotiated with all 83 communities, will improve our rivers and streams, especially during wet weather.

NHMM: Even after ALCOSAN has done its part, someone reading this is likely wondering whether the various treatment plants can really get rid of all of the bad stuff still in the river. Should they be concerned?

Dr. Dixon: No. Treatment plants are able to effectively remove contaminants which are discharged into our rivers and streams. And the good news is that the Health Department can confirm through our inspections, monitoring and surveillance that the drinking water treatment plants are providing finished water that meets or exceeds regulatory requirements when it comes to health and safety.

NHMM: It would require a book, not an interview, to explain what happens at ALCOSAN, but how about a brief overview?

Dr. Dixon: ALCOSAN treats an average of 200 million gallons of wastewater daily. Raw sewage is conveyed to the treatment plants where solids, sediments and organic materials are removed. A second step removes any remaining sediments. The wastewater is then transported to tanks where it is disinfected. The treated wastewater is then released into the Ohio River near the base of the McKees Rocks Bridge. A more detailed overview can be found on the ALCOSAN Web site at www.alcosan.org/plant.

During the river recreation season—May through September—sewer overflows related to wet weather are announced through a Combined Sewer Overflow (CSP) warning program to caution river enthusiasts to limit their contact with river water that could contain higher levels of contamination due to the release of untreated sewage and thus pose a risk of those infections and gastrointestinal illnesses mentioned earlier.

NHMM: Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, is it a good idea to use a filter on a kitchen sink faucet, or on a refrigerator that dispenses water and ice? Or do you consider that to be superfluous?

Dr. Dixon: Speaking of contamination, I can assure you and the 1.2 million residents of Allegheny County that their tap water meets or exceeds the national safe drinking water standards. Now that’s not to say we don’t occasionally get complaints from the public saying that the water coming out of the tap has a chlorine smell or taste, or is slightly off-color. While we do check on our water suppliers whenever we get complaints like these, we invariably find that these issues are mainly aesthetic in nature and generally pose no risk at all to human health.

From a public health perspective, your tap water is perfectly safe to drink or use for bathing and other purposes like cooking. Some people may feel that putting activated carbon filters on their kitchen sink tap will provide an extra measure of protection, but I believe it is a step that need not be taken. I will add, however, that for those who do use a filter, it is necessary to change the filter in the time frame specified by the manufacturer. Failure to properly maintain these filters may result in an increase of contaminants that could potentially cause adverse health effects.