Water plant supervisor confirms Vermilion’s drinking water is just fine

By Karen Cornelius

A letter sent out to all Vermilion water customers has stirred up some concern among residents who found the “Drinking Water Notice” confusing and to some alarming because it mentioned the lack of monitoring and reporting on Cryptosporidium, E. Coli counts and turbidity from the city’s source. The letter is mandated by the EPA, and according to Vermilion Water Plant Supervisor Eugene Baker has nothing to do with the water we drink. What was missed was a sampling of a test on Lake Erie water, not a drinking water test.

Baker stated that they missed a sampling because it was not on the EPA list of requirements so the operator didn’t do it. Since then, the EPA has sent the water plant a revised list. He said the EPA has created a special two-year program for broader testing to see if the plant needs to do more treatment than we usually do for Lake Erie water, raw water, coming to our plant. There is no Cryptosporidium, E-Coli found. “We know it’s on the surface water, but we treat for that. We are meeting or exceeding our EPA standards. The drinking water quality is wonderful. We are fortunate to have the water we have,” said Baker.

Baker stated the extra testing involving our raw water has nothing to do with the finished water. He said at the end of this two-year program in April of 2019 the EPA determination is to consider whether Vermilion’s water needs more treatment or not. Baker stated that Vermilion’s current system is sufficient to remove any Lake Erie concerns so there would be no need for more treatment. Nothing harmful is there.

The required letter is EPA language and there is nothing for residents to do or worry about. No boil alerts are necessary. The form letter always contains an advisory to consult a doctor if there are questions, but Baker said there is nothing to consult a doctor about because there is nothing wrong with the quality of the drinking water. The error was missing a sampling for this special EPA program which will be performed accordingly.
For further information and questions, residents are advised to call Eugene Baker at 440-320-4490.