From: Shirley VanLeuven

Sent: Wed Sep 15 13:51:05 2010

To: waterqualitystandards

Subject: Ease water standards

Importance: Normal

To: DEQ

From: Evergreen Meadows Water Improvement Water District

Prospect, Oregon

President: Shirley VanLeuven

Date: September 15, 2010

I have recently read the article in the Medford Mail Tribune about

DEQ wanting to ease water standards. I am the president of a small

water district near Lost Creek Lake in Prospect, Oregon. We have 34

lots with potential for water hook-up. We presently have 28

customers receiving water. We were recently notified by the State

that we would have to do one of three choices because we exceeded

State standards for arsenic. 1. We could purchase outside water for

drinking and cooking (most people do this anyway because the water is

too hard to drink), 2. Drill a new well (this would do no good as the

deeper you go the more arsenic you get), and 3. Put in a water

treatment system. The State Circuit Rider, HBH Engineering came

down and gave us an estimate of approximately $440,000. 25 people

own the properties (water district) here, in a low, socially economic

area and putting them into that much debt is not reasonable. We

could seek outside financing and install for approximately $60,000 an

arsenic treatment system. This still places a burden that is not

really necessary as we DO NOT DRINK THE WATER. The well was put in

in 1991 and met the drinking water standards for arsenic in 1991.

The standards were changed and effective in 2006. The state started

monitoring us for arsenic and we (of course) can't meet the new

standards. We live in a high, volcanic watershed area.