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Events regarding over-treatment of Mammoth Water on 6/19/2014: On Thursday, June 19, I noticed several employees of the Mammoth Water Dept. up at the water tank near our home at 417 W. Sunset Dr., Mammoth. They just kept coming and going all day. One was David Garcia’s vehicle. I thought they were doing extra work to prepare for the new water system, which was said to be coming to our town within the next six months.
That evening, I showered to get ready for the City Council meeting. The water seemed to be full of chlorine. I quickly finished and got out, but, the damage had already been done. My upper respiratory passageways felt burned and things had an odd smell. My throat hurt. My skin smelled of chlorine bleach.
I called the MPD around 1700, knowing the Public Works Dept. would be closed. I talked to Erica, who was the dispatcher and explained my symptoms. I told him this is a non-emergency call, but, felt that someone had over-treated our water. I was worried that someone made a mistake. He told me he would talk to someone in the water dept. and call me back. He did call back and said they’d just treated the water and it should be OK, in time. He said they are draining water from the fire hydrants.
The next day, I felt a little off, and sensitive areas on my body were irritated. We do not have the financial ability to be able to afford fancy reverse osmosis water treatment within our home, so, continued to drink the water. Pablo, from the Water Dept., came out Friday morning to test our water. He said that his tests showed our tap water’s chlorine levels were becoming normal and he’s going around testing the water from the residents who called to complain. We went out to eat at La Casita, where Janie Reynolds told me that she and her husband had adverse effects from the water, as well, including skin irritation and burning throat.
Saturday, I felt really tired and took a nap. i woke up with a headache. Sunday, I felt even worse. I had a headache, felt weak, very nauseous, had diarrhea, and was very tired. I slept most of the day and didn’t go to church or anywhere else.
I stopped drinking the tap water and had Bud go to the store to buy bottled drinking water. We are now looking into other ways to bring water into our home, even though we are paying a monthly water bill. It doesn’t make sense. My biggest question is why we weren’t warned before they excessively treated the water?
I am recording this information in hopes that it will prevent harm to others, who are older and more infirm than I, by consuming or bathing in water here in Mammoth.
/s/ Deanna Louise Paine
There are news or informational items frequently written by staff or submitted to the Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner, Superior Sun, Pinal Nugget or Oracle Towne Crier for inclusion in our print or digital products. These items are not credited with an author.
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