SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Leaders in Seminole County are working to manage concerns about a compound found in the drinking water. Recent reporting from the Orlando Sentinel brought to light the contaminant called 1,4-dioxane that has been in the water in Seminole County, Lake Mary, and Sanford for years.
Seminole County said the water is safe to drink, no alternative source is necessary, and boil water advisories are not in place.
The EPA refers to 1,4-dioxane as a likely carcinogen. The compound is now featured on the county’s website with an explainer about what it is and what the county is doing about it.
The compound 1,4-dioxane is a manufactured chemical that has been used as a stabilizer for solvents and cleaners. It is present in things like paint strippers, dyes, greases, antifreeze, and aircraft deicing fluids, according to Seminole County.
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During a presentation to the Board of County Commissioners Tuesday, Environmental Services Director Kim Ornberg spoke about the most common questions they have received from the public so far.
“Is my water safe? Am I in the impacted area, and how can I get my private well tested?” Ornberg asked.
In Seminole County, Lake Mary and Sanford, the contaminant has been traced to the former Siemens manufacturing site on Rinehart Road. It closed in the early 2000′s, years before 1,4-dioxane was first found in the water during sampling mandated by the EPA in 2013.
Since then, levels of 1,4-dioxane at the county’s Markham Regional Water Treatment Plant have averaged 0.18 parts per billion. It’s roughly half of the EPA’s health advisory level of 0.35.
“Our water has consistently been below the .035 ppb,” Ornberg said.
During a presentation to the Board of County Commissioners Tuesday, Ornberg said based on the samples they have collected so far, the water has minimal-to-no detection of the contaminate, and based off that knowledge they say the water is safe to drink.
Ornberg noted her staff and the county’s commitment to making sure the water is as safe as possible.
Concerns from the community have caught the attention of high-profile attorneys Mike Morgan and Mark Nejame, who both attended Tuesday’s meeting.
“It’s the water I drink. It’s the water my kids drink,” Morgan said. “But, I agree that this is not a level, at least at this point, for panic. It is a level for action.”
District 3 Commissioner Lee Constantine applauded the action taken by the county already, which includes hiring consultants to get the best understanding of how we got here, and what should be done.
“Because this can’t happen again,” Constantine said. “We need to work with the cities. We have to ensure that they, as well as us, are doing everything we can.”
Commissioner Jay Zembower said the reality is research and results take time and money, and he believes that is something the county should keep in mind as they look into this matter.
“It’s going to take money to do these oversights, these investigations, additional testing, and so forth, so I think we need to be taking a look at how we recover that on behalf of our citizens,” Zembower said.
Seminole County’s potable water systems are sampled and tested for contaminants based on monitoring requirements established by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. In recent months, the county has expanded sampling for 1,4-dioxane monthly to better understand its impact on our systems.
You can see what’s in your water by looking at the annual reports posted online.
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