More on ECUA water quality

A constituent recently emailed myself and other City Council members concerning recent reports about ECUA water quality (see the email below). In response, City Manager Al Coby advised me that ECUA Director Steve Sorrell will appear before the City Council at our January 11 committee meetings to make a presentation.

I will, of course, continue to do everything possible to ensure the best water quality possible and encourage ECUA to resolve any issues that may exist.

The constituent's email:

I have lived in Pensacola for over 46 years and at one time, we did have the purest water in the state. As a pharmacist, we told our mother's to use the tap water in their baby's antibiotics when mixing, because the water was so good.

What an embarrassment for all of us who take pride in our city to see the way things have degraded, air, pollution, sick bays, PCU's and now chemicals that you have allowed in our wells, just because the EPA hasn't taken the time or initiative to set guidelines and limits for all these chemicals yet. So, since you are not legally bound by law to follow set guidelines, you are giving your neighbors, friends, and citizens dozens upon dozens of chemicals through our water that humans are not supposed to take into their bodies. You are supposed to protect us and our health!

I demand that you publish for all to read, the list of chemicals and pollutants, and their strengths for each well, so that each person can decide for themselves if they want to place these unregulated chemicals into their bodies. Pensacola has a high number of scientific, medical, and educated people that will take the time to investigate something so important as the purity of life giving water. We have a legal and moral right to know what goes into our bodies.

And to our elected officials; why are you not protecting your constituency from one of the most basic rights a citizen has; to trust in the water one drinks not to cause harm.