9.28.2001 00:18 Water district delays meeting on treatment system By LIZ ANDERSON Journal Staff Writer BURRILLVILLE -- Pascoag water customers will have to wait until Tuesday night to learn whether their district will buy a treatment system to remove a gasoline additive from their water supply. The district's board of commissioners had initially set that meeting for tonight, but pushed it back to Tuesday at 6 p.m. to comply with public meeting laws. The system would cost an estimated $1 million over the next three years. District officials say they hope it would reduce the levels of methyl tertiary-butyl ether, or MTBE, in the water supply to drinkable levels when it goes on-line as soon as six weeks after it is approved. The state recommends drinking water contain no more than 20 to 40 parts per billion. Pascoag's water has tested as high as more than 600 parts per billion. Those results have led to advisories since the contamination was discovered early this month that customers not drink or cook with the water and limit the time they spend bathing. Meanwhile, testing to determine the source of the contamination continues. The state is focusing on two possible sources: the Main Street Mobil gas station and the town Department of Public Works garage, the site of a past spill and an ongoing cleanup. Yesterday Patrick Hogan, a senior engineer with the state Department of Environmental Management, said the first well drilled into bedrock at the DPW site found only a tiny level of MTBE -- 2 parts per billion. A second bedrock well was completed across Union Avenue from the DPW. Those test results are expected early next week. The owners and operators of Main Street Mobil have pumped out their tanks and closed the station for now. A pump system in front of the station, installed by their consultant, is working to remove raw gasoline from what DEM officials say they suspect is a past leak at that site. The station consultant has given the DEM tests showing the station's underground tanks are not currently leaking. Hogan said while many gasoline station owners replaced their underground tanks to comply with stricter federal regulations that kicked in 1998, Main Street Mobil's tanks were retrofitted to install protection against corrosion, another option available. The station did not put in monitoring wells at that time, he said. In other developments: Today the Rhode Island State Employees Credit Union will give away free bottled water to Pascoag water district customers at its offices, 60 North Main St., from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The water being given away comes from supplies donated to the water district by the Rhode Island Food Bank. The water giveaways will continue on successive Fridays as long as the village water remains undrinkable. Also today the Pascoag and Harrisville water districts both expect water to begin flowing from Harrisville to Pascoag through a new connection. The hope is that the Harrisville water will dilute the MTBE levels in Pascoag's water. This afternoon U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee is expected to visit town to learn more about the water crisis and to tour the affected area. Tomorrow morning the water district will continue its bottled water giveaways at its 253 Pascoag Main St. offices. The giveaway is from 9 to noon. The school district has agreed to add weekend hours to the schedule for public showers at the town hockey rink, starting tomorrow. The additional hours are Saturdays and Sundays from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.