June 12, 2015: Update on Arsenic in the water in Valle Vista

Times are a changing with regard to the water and Arsenic:

The water situation has escalated into a whole different realm.  When I discussed the water problem with Culligan Water Company recently I was told that they had installed a special filter to treat the water that would be obtained from the Truxton Water Company.  Reason was that the water contained Arsenic III which is the inorganic variety and most deadly since it cannot be removed with ordinary filtration like Arsenic V.

The Brita water filters only work to remove particles, chlorine, and other contaminants, but only ARV and nothing to do with ARIII.  I talked with the store where I purchased the system (Home Depot) and they said they were unaware that ARIII had to be removed and assumed it was ARV which is the organic kind of arsenic.

The folks at Home Depot were very cooperative and said that I could bring the Brita system back and get a full refund.  Also, they did not have any type of filter system which could remove ARIII.

Searched the Internet:

What a wonderful life we lead in 2015.  I was able to search the internet and find Pure Earth Technologies.  The call that I placed gave me a lot of information in addition to printed information on their website.  It seems that they do not use a reverse osmosis system, it is an on demand system which will purify the water immediately when you turn on the faucet!  I ordered the system and it cost $289.00 including free delivery and no sales tax because it comes from Georgia.  It will arrive on 6/15/2015.

Decided it was time to inform other people!

At first I thought that I would tell a few friends about the situation.  Especially the person who had installed the Brita system.  Then my letter was published in the newsletter which is distributed to all residents of Valle Vista.  I have received a number of calls and then an invitation to speak at the Board of Directors meeting on Monday the 15th of June.  Since then, there have been other calls and other people whom I had never met before, contacting me about the meeting.  I decided additionally to write the legislators in our district and the Mohave County Commissioner for our district.  Commissioner Gary Watson is coming to our meeting on Monday!  I have to prepare a talk to explain what I have discovered so far, and let me say that it is a lot!

Arsenic III is very dangerous when you drink the water and the symptoms appear quickly.  Loss of appetite, nausea, and other signs that you know you are ill.  On top of this the big C is going to  attack you unless something is done pronto.  Best recommendation is to stop drinking the water!!!  Get bottled water!  Make coffee and cook with bottled water!!!

Truxton Water has been aware since 1980:

The shame of this whole situation is that Truxton Water Company has been aware of this situation since 1980.  Has violated ADEQ court orders (a state agency) and is now under order to provide drinkable water to the community it serves which is 740 customers.  Their solution is laughable: 1 gallon of water per person per day.  This is to be done from a system which provides  60 gallons of water per day.  There are about 2200 people residing in Valle Vista alone.  There are other customers on the service and they are not even considered in the count.

Additionally, there are people who are not  customers of Truxton directly.  They are secondary customers who purchase water to haul to their homes from a stand-pipe which is located at a local gas station.  There are no warning signs that this water has AR III or AR V in the water.  They take the water home, feed their animals, drink it, and blithely think all is well.  It is not!

What remedies are available to get better water and safety?

First:  Immediately require signage which warns of the extent that the water is dangerous.

Second: Require that Truxton put in a water treatment facility in 60 days and not wait until one year or May 2016!

Third:  A serious remedy would be Condemnation by the County or State of the entire water system, from well to pipes.  In other words, take over the water company.  As a part of this allow only those customers currently receiving water to  purchase shares in the water company.  Have management of this company be done by the Valle Vista Home Owners Association.

Fourth:  Compensation of the owners of the water company should be determined by the courts.  Claims against any all funds allocated could also be adjudicated at the same court.

Fifth:  A Class Action lawsuit should be investigated for the purpose of determining loss of value for existing property owners due to the negative publicity and diminution of values created by tainted water and the inability of new home owners being allowed to purchase water from Truxton Water Company.

These are a few suggestions and are by no means penultimate solution.  It should be up to the customers of Truxton Water Company and the water company itself to achieve a fair and just solution to this horrendous problem.