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Aloha Says Consultant Is Slowing Water Fix

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By CHRISTIAN M. WADE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 8, 2007

Updated: 09/07/2007 09:55 pm

NEW PORT RICHEY - The former University of South Florida professor who was working for Aloha Utilities Inc. on a plan to resolve longstanding water quality problems has failed to produce final reports on the instillation of a new filtration system.

That will mean more delays in resolving those issues, company officials told state regulators this week.

Audrey Levine, an environmental scientist working under contract for the private utility, left USF in December to work for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Levine has been a consultant for Aloha since 2004, when the utility hired USF to work on a solution to the 'black water' contamination of its wells. She was finalizing reports on the design, permitting and instillation of the new filtration system.

Those documents haven't materialized, however.

In a Sept. 5 letter to General Counsel Michael Cooke of the Public Service Commission, Aloha's attorney John Wharton said the utility has not been able to obtain the information from Levine.

'Aloha has done everything it could do, orally and in writing, to convince, cajole, persuade and even threaten against Dr. Levine or USF in an attempt to secure Dr. Levine's follow through on her promises to aid in the project,' he wrote.

Wharton warned that the missing reports will delay the process.

'Her input, and the data and other information which form the basis of her conclusions, are absolutely essential for Aloha to proceed,' Wharton wrote. 'Unfortunately, we have now reached a point where we must formally inform all of the parties to our settlement that definite delays have resulted from the failure to receive Dr. Levine's reports.'

Numerous phone calls to Levine's home in Washington and her offices at the EPA were not returned. USF officials declined to comment on the status of her reports.

Steve Reilly, a representative from the state Office of Public Counsel who is overseeing the Aloha settlement process, called the missing reports a 'disturbing development.'

'This is another potential delay,' he said. 'We're hoping that it will be resolved.'

For years, customers have complained of a dark color and sulfur odor in the water from the private utility, which serves about 25,000 households in Seven Springs and Trinity.

A previous USF report, conducted by Levine, attributed the problems to an excess of hydrogen sulfide, an organic compound found in most potable water systems.

The solution lies in a fixed-bed anion exchange system, which involves water passing through a filtration system attached to the wells. In recent studies, the new technology has proved effective for removing hydrogen sulfide from most drinking-water systems.

In April 2005, the state Public Service Commission unanimously approved a settlement between Aloha and customer representatives aimed at resolving the problems.

The deal says Aloha must install an anion exchange system at its five treatment plants. The company estimated the fix will cost customers $6 a month per household or an estimated $6.1 million in proposed rate increases during the next several years.

Steve Watford, Aloha's president, said his utility has taken significant actions, securing a $20 million bond to pay for bulk water and paying the county $4.9 million in impact fees.

Implementation of the settlement, however, has been plagued by setbacks.

Four months ago, Aloha executives sparred with state Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, over delays in securing an agreement to buy bulk water from Pasco County.

Aloha executives blamed county officials for the delays and said they are complying with the settlement terms and are working on designs for the filtration system.

County officials fired back that they weren't to blame for the delays.

Reporter Christian M. Wade can be reached at (727) 815-1082 or cwade@tampatrib.com.

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