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MEDFORD Water Commission fined for dumping chlorinated water into Lone Pine Creek By Damian Mann Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Jun. 23, 2015 @ 1:24 pm Updated Jun 23, 2015 at 5:12 PM By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Jun. 23, 2015 @ 1:24 pm Updated Jun 23, 2015 at 5:12 PM » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Oregon environmental officials this week slapped a $25,000 fine against the Medford Water Commission for dumping 1.65 million gallons of chlorinated water into Lone Pine Creek Jan. 9. “It’s a major magnitude violation,” said Jeff Bachman, environmental law specialist with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. The fine is higher than normal because the water commission was penalized by DEQ for discharging chlorinated water into the same creek in 2010, Bachman said. Chlorinated water can kill fish and damage other aquatic species in creeks, though no fish kills were observed after the incident. In addition, an operator who responded to an alarm at the Capitol Hill reservoir at 1:30 a.m. Jan. 9 failed to take control of the situation and failed to call in a supervisor to fix the dechlorination system, DEQ officials determined. The Water Commission often has excess water in its system that is diverted to Lone Pine Creek. The water is treated at Big Butte Springs with chlorine at .05 parts per million before it is transported to Medford. Excess water is dechlorinated with calcium thiosulfate to bring chlorine levels down to .01 parts per million before it is released into the creek. Laura Hodnett, spokesperson for the Water Commission, said her agency doesn’t dispute the fact that chlorinated water was discharged into Lone Pine Creek. In fact, the commission reported the violation to DEQ. “Our belief is the fine is excessive for the violation,” she said. The Water Commission will not appeal the penalty but will seek to apply the money toward credits for other environmental projects in the Medford area, she said. Hodnett said there was an issue with tubing that caused a pump to fail. The pump adds chemicals that dechlorinate excess water before it is discharged into Lone Pine Creek. She said when the pump failed, the alarm system was automatically triggered. She said the operator arrived at the Capitol Hill reservoir around 1:30 a.m. but was unable to fix the system. The operator should have alerted a supervisor to make sure the repairs were made, Hodnett said. Instead, a supervisor discovered the problem some six or seven hours later and immediately repaired the problem, Hodnett said. “Had the normal protocols been fully followed, it could have been resolved by that person,” she said. Since the incident, the Water Commission installed a backup pump that will kick on if the main pump fails. Jon Gasik, DEQ senior engineer in Medford, said .05 parts per million concentrations are not harmful to humans but can be toxic to fish. “Anyone who has an aquarium knows you don’t put tap water in it,” he said. Gasik said his department observed stressed fish after the incident but found no dead fish. “Other aquatic organisms such as stone flies were definitely impacted in that area,” he said. He said there was a problem with equipment at the Water Commission’s facility, but he said the main issue was human error. “The guy went out there and didn’t fix it," he said. “And it wasn’t fixed until the morning.” Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected] . Follow on Twitter at @reporterdm . By Damian Mann Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Jun. 23, 2015 @ 1:24 pm Updated Jun 23, 2015 at 5:12 PM » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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