Joseph DeMayo spent more than 30 years working in water and wastewater treatment in Rhode Island. He’s alarmed at what he’s seeing in his home water filtration system in The Villages.
The Cottages at Summerchase resident, who worked for more than three decades in the water department for the Narragansett Bay Commission in the Ocean State, is worried about what may be floating in the water system in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown.
A home water filter that was supposed to last for three to four months was installed in his home for less than two months. It started out ivory white and is now a dark brown, full of iron, rust and other sediments.
He showed the dirty filter Friday to the Community Development District 3 Board of Supervisors during a meeting at Savannah Center.
“To me, to anybody, that’s not acceptable. If I didn’t have this filtration system in my house, I would not be aware of what I was drinking,” he told the supervisors. “Most Villagers, most of my neighbors, have no idea what they are drinking.”
While DeMayo is grateful for the filtration system protecting his home water supply, he contends that the filtering should be taking place at the source of the water.
“But we don’t know where the source is,” said DeMayo, who said, he’s been asking plenty of questions, but not getting any answers. “We don’t know where our water is coming from.”
DeMayo said residents who are drinking the water should be concerned.
He said if he was in his former water management role in Rhode Island, the sight of such dirty filters would be cause for alarm.
“We would have addressed this ASAP,” he said.
The Cottages at Summerchase are located within the Little Sumter Service Area, which serves approximately 25,000 residents in Community Development Districts 2, 3 and 4. LSSA comprises 117 miles of potable water mains, 939 fire hydrants, 127 miles of sanitary sewer mains, 30 miles of sanitary force mains, 2121 manholes and 16 lift stations. LSSA is regulated by the Southwest Florida Water Management District for water use and Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Orlando for water and wastewater treatment and distribution.
Are you satisfied with the quality of your water? Share your thoughts at [email protected]