Water in Wheeling

I love this letter that I read FOUR DAYS after I got home from Lexington. It begins:

"Our water system recently violated a drinking water standard...this is not an emergency..."

I'm a little concerned that the Water Department doesn't consider violating the standards as an emergency! Perhaps, I'm just an alarmist but how hard is this??? The letter continues to describe that Wheeling water exceeds TTHM:

"Total Trihalomethane (TTHM) are byproducts formed in the disinfection of water with chlorine and organic material present."

What kind of "organic material" do you think they're talking about??? BLEAH!! It gets better when you read their reaction to the crisis:

"You do not need to use an alternative...water supply....if you have specific health concerns...consult your doctor....This is not an immediate risk. [Some people who drink this over many years] may experience problems with their liver, kindneys, or central nervous systems, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

Nah, nothin' to worry about! What is wrong with these people? I am not reassured when their solution is "a blending of well and river water (from the OHIO??) along with a change in chemical treatment." Again, what is so difficult about this? We've had city water for my entire life. Then in small print at the end of the letter is this lovely line:

"Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools and businesses).

Gosh, why would you want to notify anyone besides the landed gentry. Sheesh, if we didn't own our home I guess we would be expendable? What this tells me is that the Water Department only met the letter of the law regarding notification on this issue.

Bottom line: I am not amused.