Taste and quality are among key water issues

Recently the cities of Sandpoint, Ponderay and Kootenai met in an attempt to start to hammer out possible solutions to water problems each city faces.

This meeting began by having city of Sandpoint staff outline costs and infrastructure issues. As is always the case money is a major problem.

Looking beyond the dollar issues I see other aspects that could possibly affect city of Sandpoint residents. One is the taste issue. I am very proud of the water that is delivered to current users.

For at least 10 months out of the year it comes entirely from Sand Creek and it is hands down superior to anything I have seen imported to North Idaho in a bottle that ends up in landfills. I am constantly disappointed with the taste of water in other municipalities.

The water is literally hot (Chandler, Ariz.) or has a foul smell (Tacoma, Wash., area).

On speaking with Sandpoint's Public Works Director Kody Van Dyk, I learned taste has no bearing on whether our water is safe to drink.

From my perspective water taste is an issue that needs to be addressed before we draw from Lake Pend Oreille for longer periods of time during the year.

In addition, the Associated Press has found widespread contamination with over-the-counter prescription drugs in public water supplies that come from upstream river sources.

These medications come from small amounts in the urine that goes through wastewater treatment plants. While the wastewater is treated, sewage plants don't test for or try to eliminate specific drugs. The EPA is just beginning to recognize that this is a growing problem nationwide.

As always, as a council person for Sandpoint I am constantly vigilant about cost increases that only cause additional burden to residents young and old. If we head down the path of expanding our water system I do not want to see extreme cost increases placed on current users who have already paid for the system.

As a larger community when we meet in regards to water we all need to come to the table ready to address issues in a way that will benefit all users while still providing quality water that tastes good and in a manner that is affordable to all area residents.