The water emergency in Toledo and how Bowling Green will respond to such emergencies was discussed at city council Monday night.
Mayor Richard Edwards addressed the water emergency that occurred over the weekend in Toledo during the meeting.
“The last 60 hours have been anxious for all of us,” he said. “We as a community have done our best to send our help up north.”
While thousands of people were without water, Edwards said the situation has been taken care of, thanks to the Northwestern Water and Sewer District.
Edwards explained the water testing process that occurs in Bowling Green and praised its thoroughness. He said the Environmental Protection Agency requires municipal water to be tested every two weeks, but the city does so weekly. Now, Edwards said because of the recent events in Toledo, the city will be testing its water more often.
“We will be doing testing on a daily basis through this somewhat anxious period,” he said.
City Utilities Director Brian O’Connell went into detail about how the city tests its water.
Initially, the water in the city’s reservoir is tested for dangerous algae that cause toxins such as those seen in Toledo’s water, he said. Not every type of algae produces these toxins, and only such algae are sought out in these tests.
The reservoir is also treated with an anti-algae chemical called potassium permanganate.
Water is then put through a process of reverse osmosis that removes impurities, O’Connell said.
While the city does pull its water from its reservoir, it also has access to water from surrounding rivers, O’Connell said.
“We have multiple options,” he said. “There’s backups within the system.”
In response to the water emergency in Toledo, City Council passed an ordinance that would aid surrounding communities in similar situations.
This ordinance allows for a Local Government Innovation Fund Grant to “conduct a feasibility study for an emergency water interconnection between the City of Toledo and the City of Bowling Green water systems.”
This system would make it easier for the cities to aid each other in times of water shortages as seen this past weekend.
While this system allows for the cities to help each other, O’Connell urged that the city would not give aid if it could not promise its own citizens with water in doing so.
Before council business, three fire division officers were sworn in during a brief ceremony.
“It’s not often we pre-empt council, but tonight we are,” said Mayor Edwards. “This is a very, very special occasion.”
Thomas Sanderson was sworn in as chief of the fire division, Bill Mormon was sworn in as Captain and Lucas Ward was sworn in as Lieutenant.
Also at council:
•The parking lot behind the SBX bookstore on Manville Road has been expanded to include ten more parking spots, said Brain Craft, director of public works.
