Konawa Water Woes Now Include Dangerous Carcinogens

The water problems keep coming for the town of Konawa. The water service there keeps going out and now there's a letter saying their water contains a dangerous chemical that could cause cancer.

Thursday, January 24th 2013, 6:41 pm

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Konawa Water Woes Now Include Dangerous Carcinogens

The water problems keep coming for the town of Konawa. The water service there keeps going out and now there's a letter saying their water contains a dangerous chemical that could cause cancer.

Carrie Holly was already frustrated with the city's on-again off-again water service. But then she got a letter in the mail saying her drinking water was above the maximum contamination level of Trihalomethanes and it may over many years cause liver, kidneys or central nervous central problems and increase the risk of cancer.

"It's kind of scary, you should feel safe to bath in your water or cook," said Holly. "Even if you're boiling it you have that in the back of your mind,"

"We don't know exactly what caused that higher reading that we got except is was an older tank that was used for a settling tank," said City Manager Rita LoPresto.

LoPresto says they are working to get the problem fixed. That settling tank was drained and redone. But even if that doesn't solve the TTHM problem. LoPresto says the levels are still very low.

"It shouldn't cause any health issues for anybody because we would get it corrected," said LoPresto. "It would be 30 years they would (have to) be drinking that water that had a problem."

In the meantime, State Senator Susan Paddack has stepped in and called a community meeting to address all the water issues in Konawa.

"We need answers, I'm tired of hearing we're working on it," said Holly.

That meeting is scheduled for January 29^th at 6 p.m.. and not only will city leaders be there, but representatives from state agencies and Representative James Lankford's office.

LoPresto says work should begin next week to fix a water line out at that well field. That should solve some of the water leak problems. But they still need to replace all of the water lines in town and that would cost $5 million.