Tryon says water quality exceeds state standards
A Tryon water customer has expressed concerns over the quality of the water in the town’s reservoir, Lake Lanier.
Michael Verbonic attended Tryon Town Council’s April 19 meeting and expressed several concerns about the lake being used as a reservoir, including sewage concerns and fuel being spilled into the water.
Tryon Town Manager Justin Hembree said the lake water is treated and there have been no negative results from state testing.
“Water quality tests have consistently exceeded all NCDENR (N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources) standards,” said Hembree. “In fact, the town has received awards for the quality of our treated water.”
Tryon Water Plant Supervisor Betty Jones said the water coming into the plant and water going out of the plant is tested every day and since she has been with the town since 1987, the raw water has never tested positive for coliform and E. coli, which indicates whether fecal matter is present. She said the town knows there are impurities in the lake water, but she said by the time it gets to the intake, most of the impurities have settled and the water used for drinking water is taken off the top, then treated.
According to Jones, the water’s most recent turbidity has been extremely low, between 1.2 and 1.35. Jones said her requirement is for the turbidity of the water going into the clear well to be 0.1 or less after it’s treated.
Test results are sent to the state once per month, and other testing is done throughout the year, including seven samples per month taken throughout the town’s distribution system.
Verbonic also asked council members what the plan is in case of a fire at the lake. He called the lake’s boathouses “tinder boxes” and requested the town cease issuing building permits and prohibit future fireworks on the lake.
He also called the lake “lawless,” and asked who residents are supposed to call in case of an emergency.
“What is going to happen tonight when one of those structures goes up in flames and there’s another three feet from it,” Verbonic asked council.
He said to further complicate the situation, hundreds of the structures contain fuel containers. Verbonic said there are no fire extinguishers and no fire code, with “unlicensed users spilling fuel into my drinking water.”
Verbonic also asked council since the town owns the lake, why Tryon children cannot swim there.
Tryon owns the lakebed of Lake Lanier and pumps water to its water plant for the town’s main water source. Tryon regulates zoning over the water, such as any boathouse construction.
The land surrounding the lake is located in Greenville County, S.C., which is in charge of regulations for buildings constructed over the land. The state of South Carolina a few years ago deemed Lake Lanier as a private lake and stopped S.C. Wildlife Resource enforcement of boat and fishing activity on the lake. The lake is considered a subdivision, built in the 1920s, and is privately used by landowners.
Tryon receives Greenville County fire taxes to respond to lake fires, as does the Landrum Fire Department. Other emergencies, such as those requiring law enforcement officials, are handled by Greenville County, S.C.