MDE: Lonaconing water plant to start up 'within the next month'

Jun. 21—LONACONING — The Maryland Department of the Environment is working with Lonaconing on the town's final phase of water plant construction upgrades that will allow it to service its own customers for the first time in nearly 18 months.

"Lonaconing continues to purchase water from Frostburg and has projected water plant start-up within the next month," Jay Apperson, the department's communications office deputy director, said via email Tuesday.

"MDE is communicating with Lonaconing about planned operations and future compliance requirements," he said.

Background

Due to a malfunction at the Midland-Lonaconing Water System in January 2023, MDE required the town to issue a boil water warning for roughly 5,000 people at 1,700 metered properties.

The notice stated water testing for turbidity, or cloudiness, indicated levels far above state and federal standards.

Normal levels at the water plant were typically less than 0.1 turbidity units, the warning stated.

"A water sample taken January 17, 2023, showed levels of 9 turbidity units," it stated. "Because of these high levels of turbidity, there is an increased chance that the water may contain disease-causing organisms."

The organisms could include bacteria, viruses, and parasites, "which can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches," the warning stated.

MDE said the town could lift the boil water advisory when it "can demonstrate that drinking water standards can be met and maintained," Apperson said.

At that time, Lonaconing Mayor Jack Coburn led an effort to distribute free bottled water to people impacted by the situation.

The Maryland Environmental Service took control of the Midland-Lonaconing Water System, served by Koontz, Midland-Gilmore and Charleston treatment plants, and connected it to a Frostburg line installed nearly 30 years ago as a precautionary backup measure.

Lead

A random test in September showed elevated lead levels in six of 21 water samples taken from Lonaconing homes.

"It appears that lead could be entering the water through a localized source, such as household plumbing or the water service line, rather than system wide," Apperson said at the time.

Through the 1950s, lead pipes leading to houses via service lines were common, the National Caucus of Environmental Legislator reported.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "beginning in the 1970s, lead concentrations in air, tap water, food, dust, and soil began to be substantially reduced, resulting in significantly reduced blood lead levels in children throughout the United States."

Despite being outlawed in 1986, many old lead pipes remain.

According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, a service line can be made of lead, copper, galvanized steel, or plastic.

Meeting

Roughly 80 people, including officials from Lonaconing, MDE and MES, attended a February 2023 meeting to discuss the water problems.

Several area residents spoke at the meeting, including Midland resident Jessica Monahan, who presented a large board covered with photos of brown water.

"We've had an ongoing issue with the water," she said and added she complained in the past to town officials.

Gary Holshey, assistant chief of Good Will Fire Company in Lonaconing, thanked town officials for their work to secure bottled water for residents during the boil advisory.

Holshey was one of several volunteers that handed out roughly 5,000 cases of bottled water over the past three weeks.

Coburn supplied food from his business, Coney Pizza, for the volunteers each day, Holshey said.

Award

In May, Frostburg received the 2024 Water System of the Year award from the Maryland Rural Water Association.

The city was nominated because for more than a year it provided high-quality drinking water roughly 10 miles away to the Georges Creek Valley via Lonaconing's water system, which includes customers in Midland, Lonaconing, Barton and unincorporated areas in between.

That effort resulted in a 22% increase in water production for Frostburg, which at the time had provided more than 94 million gallons of drinking water to the neighboring communities.

Frostburg owns its water treatment plant, which is operated by Maryland Environmental Service.

The city's water comes from springs, wells and a reservoir.

Frostburg's distribution system, maintained by five city employees, consists of more than 2,500 accounts and water flows through over 36 miles of line.

The system also provides water to eight separate communities consisting of another 2,400 utility accounts.

Frostburg Commissioner of Water, Parks and Recreation Nina Forsythe at the time said the award "speaks volumes about the expertise of our water department, Public Works Director Hayden Lindsey, and MES Regional Supervisor Mark Kaiser and his team, as well as the professionalism of City Administrator Elizabeth Stahlman and City staff."

Forsythe said the department was "truly gratified by this recognition of the city's willingness to help out our neighbors during their water emergency without compromising our ability to meet the needs of our existing customers."

Teresa McMinn is a reporter for the Cumberland Times-News. She can be reached at 304-639-2371 or tmcminn@times-news.com.