Water Supplier Gets Extension on Test to Stop Leaks in Pipes

The City Council has given a water supplier an additional 90 days to test the effectiveness of a treatment that engineers say should reduce the corrosion in copper pipes that has plagued hundreds of Duarte homes for as long as a decade.

California-American Water Co. had asked for an additional six months for the pilot project in which caustic soda is injected into the water system to neutralize acid, which is thought to cause the corrosion. Cal-Am owns and operates eight wells in Duarte.

Results Inconclusive

The project, launched in November at the city’s request, includes 230 homes in the northeast part of the city that have been hard-hit by leaks. Cal-Am told the council Tuesday that results of the testing were inconclusive and more time is needed to raise the water’s pH level to completely remove the acid.

City Manager Jesse Duff said the city had been under the impression the alkalinity of the water was being raised to a level of 8 to eliminate the carbon dioxide, as an engineer hired by the city had recommended last year. But in a July 27 report to the city, the engineer stated that between February and July, the treated water averaged a level of 7.5.

The 90-day compromise was proposed by Bryan Hinzie, a Duarte resident and a Metropolitan Water District metallurgist.

Numerous Complaints

Complaints about pinhole leaks started coming in within the last 10 years, when copper rather than galvanized pipes became the norm in new-home construction.

At least 300 residences have been found to have the leaks, said assistant City Manager Manuel Ontal.

Modesto Martinez told the council Tuesday night he has spent more than $2,000 to repair two leaks in his home built in 1980, and is wondering whether to repair another two leaks that occurred this year because they would only recur.

After the meeting, Martinez said, “I see water stains on the ceiling, my walls have mildew, and my tiles have started to warp.” He added that he shuts off the main water valve when he isn’t using water in order to avoid huge bills.

“I’m thinking very seriously of moving if we can’t get this resolved,” said Mary Barrow-Somerlott, who replaced the plumbing in her house last year at a cost of $3,000. “It was our seventh leak in seven years.”

Last August, Duarte filed a complaint against the water company with the California Public Utilities Commission but asked that a hearing be delayed until Cal-Am completed the caustic soda test, which the water company had agreed to conduct.

Donald Reedy, a corrosion engineer hired by the city to study the problem, has reported that the treatment has been successfully used to neutralize the acid caused by dissolved carbon dioxide in other communities, such as Dana Point.

Limited Aeration

Well water frequently contains carbon dioxide, which dissolves because of limited aeration and forms acid, he said.

Andrew Krueger, Cal-Am’s Los Angeles district manager, has maintained that the plumbing rather than the water is causing the problems and that Cal-Am “went along with the tests to satisfy the city.”

Duarte began requiring thicker copper pipe in 1985, but leaks have been reported in the new pipes as well, Ontal said.

In its report to the City Council, Cal-Am said that there has not been a significant drop in the leaks reported in the homes receiving treated water. The company contends that a longer study is necessary to determine if the treatment is having an effect.

Surveys Conducted

A Cal-Am survey conducted at the end of May showed 23 homes with leaks out of 114 homes receiving treated water, said Andrew Krueger, Cal-Am’s Los Angeles district manager.

A city survey conducted between May and July showed pinhole leaks in 23 of 119 homes in a control area receiving untreated water, Ontal said.

“The differences aren’t significant enough” to conclude the treatment is working, Krueger said.

Some residents have questioned Cal-Am’s effort to make the project a success. Barrow-Somerlott said she believes the test was set up to fail because the company is unwilling to pay for the treatment.

A citywide caustic soda injection program would cost $1 million to $1.5 million to implement, and cost $250,000 to $500,000 annually, Krueger said.