Results of the 2020 City of Martinsville Water Quality Report

Water Quality in Martinsville, Virginia
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Results of the 2020 City of Martinsville water quality report
According to the report, the Primary Contaminants Levels (PMCL) were not violated in 2020. The city’s raw water comes from the Beaver Creek Reservoir and is treated with chlorine, alum, flocculation, lime, and caustic soda. Despite being certified as clean, it contained high levels of Aluminum ppb classified as Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level (SMCL). The water is also prone to various contaminants such as; microbial pollutants such as viruses and bacteria from agricultural operations, sewage, and septic plants. Inorganic contaminants include salt and minerals from nature, disposed wastewater, oil and gas manufacture, farming, and mining work. Pesticides and herbicides from agriculture, residential use, and water runoff from urban areas are present. Organic chemicals and radioactive contaminants are also present (City of Martinsville, Water Resources Department, 2020).
Water quality issue in Martinsville, Virginia
According to the 2020 City of Martinsville, Water Resources Department water report (2020), the primary water quality issue is the presence of aluminum in the city’s water. Aluminum is an abundant metallic element found in water, which makes up about eight percent of the earth’s crust. It occurs naturally as silicates, oxides, and hydroxides combine with other elements. According to water experts, the quantity of water recommended should have a Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level (SMCL) of 0.05 to 0.2 mg/L in water for consumption (World Health Organization, 2003, pp. 6). In Martinsville’s city, the recommended SMCL is between 50-200. The report documented a range of 278ppb, which is significant contamination of Martinsville water. While these levels are non-enforceable as their significant consequences are altering the water’s taste, color, or smell, its concentration predisposes its consumers to various problems over time. Thus, a considerable problem (City of Martinsville, Water Resources Department, 2020).
The primary source of the high SMCL levels of aluminum in water is water addictive utilized in water treatment. According to Krupinska (2020, pp.641), aluminum salts in the form of alum are added to water during the purification process to facilitate the coagulation of organic matter, turbidity, bacteria, and protozoa organisms into large particles, which can then be quickly neutralized. While it effectively eliminates all these impurities, aluminum residues in sodium aluminate undergo alkaline hydrolysis and remain in water three times higher than the normal range. The high aluminum concentrations deposited in the distribution system cause harmful consequences to consumers’ health (Krupińska, 2020, pp. 641). Another source of aluminum in Martinsville water is from nature. Aluminum occurs naturally on the earth’s crust by weathering rocks, minerals, and soil. Thus, it is transported from these sources to the surface and groundwater sources during a water runoff before being supplied to consumers (Siti, Mazrura, Zurahanim & Ahmad, 2010, pp. 2010).
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