AZDEQ (Arizona Department of Environmental Quality) officials announced that a compliance order has been issued to Tacna Water Management Co. of Yuma for exceeding maximum contaminant levels of arsenic in its drinking water and a number of reporting violations. Tacna Water Company serves a population of 240 persons in the community of Tacna, located 40 miles east of Yuma.
Six arsenic samples taken between February 2011 and April 2012 by the water company showed arsenic levels between .016 milligrams per liter and .022 milligrams per liter. The maximum contaminant level for arsenic under state and federal law is .010 milligrams per liter.
The compliance order notes that the company did not provide ADEQ with certification that it conducted public notice of the arsenic violations to its customers for the first, second and third quarters of 2012. The compliance order requires the company to conduct public notification within 10 days.
“These are serious violations and the company needs to respond expeditiously to this compliance order,” ADEQ Director Henry Darwin said.
ADEQ found that the water company has not kept its facility in proper operating condition. An ADEQ inspection in June 2012 noted extensive weed growth within the well and storage tanking compound and several unrepaired leaks in the system, including a leak in a connection pipe leading to a 22,500 gallon storage tank that is the only interim water supply available to customers.
In addition, Tacna Water Company did not provide ADEQ with a copy of required consumer confidence reports for 2010 and 2011 and certification that the reports were distributed to customers.