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BK: 00028 PG -.0124 <br />The Chair ruled the motion had been adopted unanimously. <br />Chair Dalrymple read and presented a Proclamation for Girl Scout Week. Scouts from Troops <br />737, 819, and 1401 were present and served Commissioners Girl Scout cookies prior to the meeting. <br />Commissioner Sloan moved to approve the Proclamation for Girl Scout Week, a copy of which is <br />attached to these Minutes and by this reference made a part hereof. Upon a vote, the results were as <br />follows: <br />Aye: Dalrymple, Frazier, Knecht, Oldham, Reives, Sloan, and Smith <br />Nay: None <br />The Chair ruled the motion had been adopted unanimously. <br />The Board heard an update from Interim Health Director Health Cain on water testing in the <br />Colon/Osgood communities. Mr. Cain stated that to date Environmental Health has received 100 <br />letters from interested property owners to have their private well and/or surface water feature tested. <br />Some letters are still being verified to ensure that testable water features exist on their property. A total <br />of 53 samples from 47 property owners have been taken to date with 6 samples remaining to be taken. <br />Properties with private wells have been given first priority. In speaking with property owners who <br />submitted a letter but did not have a water surface feature on their property, their primary <br />interests/concerns were (1) sampling a well on their property which was no longer operational, and (2) <br />sampling their city water. Of the 53 water sources sampled to date, Environmental Health has sampled <br />23 private wells. Sample results from the State Public Health Laboratory have been received on 23 <br />private wells as of this date. Of the 23 private well sample results, 14 results conveyed an elevated <br />Hexavalent Chromium level (great than 0.07); and 21 results conveyed an elevated Vanadium level <br />(great than .03). On February 11th Mr. Cain received a call from the Office of Environmental and <br />Epidemiological Branch (DEEB) informing him the State would no longer recommend the do -not -drink <br />and/or cook with the private well water sampled if the results were above the allowable limits. He was <br />informed to provide the results to property owners and in the letter notify them to call the OEEB to <br />discuss health risk. Since February 11th, Mr. Cain's office has mailed a letter, along with the results to <br />each property owner, to contact the OEEB so the property owner could discuss with subject -matter <br />experts the results of the baseline sampling results provided by his office. <br />At this time Mr. Tom Reeder, Assistant Secretary for the environment at the N.C. Department of <br />Environmental Quality (DEQ) stated the well water found to contain hexavalent chromium and <br />vanadium is safe to drink. Mr. Reeder stated the water in this area is the same as everyone else's <br />across the state. He further stated bottled water may have more hexavalent chromium than the wells in <br />question in the Colon/Osgood communities. Mr. Reeder stated that every major city in North Carolina <br />has been tested and found to contain levels that do not contain health issues. He concluded by stating <br />the levels meet Federal water guidelines. <br />The Board heard from Dr. Randall Williams, North Carolina Deputy Secretary of Health Services <br />who stated the state had begun to reconsider the allowable limits at the end of 2015, noting that federal <br />regulations were much less strict. There are no federal regulations on vanadium and only regulations <br />on chromium in general. The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to review hexavalent <br />chromium and vanadium in December (2016) and determine allowable limits of chemicals in drinking <br />water at that time He further stated tests on mice suggest there is no reason to suspect levels of <br />hexavalent chromium could cause negative health effects. His office will be sending letters to the <br />residents in the Colon Road area that they are removing the do -not -drink notice. He stated residents <br />were advised in November (2015) not to drink the water as a precaution. <br />