AUBURN -About 6,000 Water District customers received a letter last week informing them of a continued violation of a federal water quality standard and the district’s short- and long-term solutions.

Increased levels of haloacetic acids in drinking water were discovered in November. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection requires quarterly letters of notification to customers. The Auburn Water District is in voluntary compliance with the DEP by notifying customers quarterly and by developing short- and long-term solutions.

Haloacetic acidic compounds are created when chlorine added to water for disinfecting combines with natural organic matter. The federal Environmental Protection Agency has established a maximum contaminant level of 60 parts per billion for haloacetic acids. It is based on the estimated lifetime cancer risk of one in 10,000, assuming an adult’s tap water consumption is eight and one-half cups per day for a 154-pound adult.

The amount found in November was 65 parts per billion in a sample taken from within the water distribution system. The most recent testing indicated a level of 66 parts per billion.

“So surprisingly enough, it’s essentially the same numbers,” said Superintendent Norm Lamie. He added that the situation is not an emergency.

Lamie and other Water District officials have expressed concern that technical language contained in a letter sent out in January informing customers of the first violation caused apprehension for some people. Several Auburn residents contacted the district with questions about the letter’s reference to an increased cancer risk. The EPA requires that statement and the technical language.

The district hired a consulting engineering firm that completed a study this spring and recommended chloramination, which would reduce the amount of chlorine in the water. The startup cost for chloramination is between $150,000 and $175,000.

The Water District Board of Trustees reviewed the recommendations April 16. Design of the treatment modifications is under way and construction is anticipated to take place during the late summer and early fall with implementation of the new treatment process before the end of 2003, Lamie said.

The chloramine feed system would be temporarily housed at the district office at 268 Court St. for two to three years. The district office is the first water customer on the city’s line. Lamie explained that chloramination would be a permanent solution, only the location would be temporary.

“Ultimately, this system would be placed at the shores of Lake Auburn where the pump station is,” Lamie said.

Eventually, the chloramine feed system would be combined with a secondary system using either ultraviolet light or ozone to kill organisms. That method is less expensive than others and is currently being adopted by New York City. It is also in use in several cities in Europe.