Water quality dispute leads to harsh words and apologies at SGWASA meeting

A South Granville Water and Sewer Authority board member apologized Tuesday night to a Butner citizen who called the board’s members remarks at last month’s meeting an attack on his character.

The tense moment, which ultimately led to what appeared to be a peaceful resolution, stemmed from a question about whether SGWASA’s water damages some heaters, and how the organization should respond to that question.

Chet Thompson, a Butner plumber, brought a corroded anode from a hot water heater to the SGWASA board’s May meeting and questioned whether the SGWASA water had caused the damage.

At the June meeting, SGWASA Executive Director Scott Schroyer recommended the organization contract with a consulting firm to review water testing data and determine whether anything in the results indicated the water quality might contribute to hot water heater damage.

Board member Georgana Kicinski asked how much the study was going to cost, and Schroyer said it would be about $12,000.

“For one hot water heater?” Kicinski asked.

Schroyer said it’s more than just one hot water heater. The study will look at whether there is any connection between water quality in the system and premature anode decay, he said.

Kicinski said she has spoken to two different plumbers, and they both said they had not had any issues of that type.

Board member Vicky Daniels said she had spoken to someone from another company, who told her they had not experienced the problems and also told her the problems with the anodes “could be anything,” including sediment or hard water.

Schroyer said his approach is to look at that data and determine whether there are trends that can be identified and that need to be addressed.

At the June meeting, Kicinski said there was no way to be sure the anode that had been brought to the meeting was from a hot water heater connected to the SGWASA system. She said she was not calling Thompson a liar, but she repeated that there was no way to know where the anode was from.

Kicinski expressed frustration and concern about spending money on the study.

Thompson addressed the board Tuesday night and said he appreciated Schroyer’s recommendation to study the matter.

But Thompson went on to sharply criticize what he called the “attack on my character” by Kicinski. When he began addressing Kicinski directly by name, Chairman Jimmy Gooch told him his commments were out of order because they were directed personally to a specific board member.

“I don’t care about your order,” Thompson said. He said he was waiting for an apology.

“This is not a time to attack a board member, Mr. Thompson,” Gooch said.

“I feel like I have a right to defend myself,” Thompson said.

Thompson insulted the board using harsh language as he turned to go back to his seat.

Later in the meeting, Kicinski apologized to Thompson and emphasized that her concern was about spending and its impact on rates.

“I am sorry,” Kicinski said. “I never meant to question your integrity.”

“I appreciate you doing it publicly,” Thompson said in response to the apology. “And I apologize for what I said. It was ugly.”

In other public comments at the meeting, Creedmoor resident David Brunson said he was concerned about the water rates and also about the quality of the water.

Cassandra Little said her mother’s house in Creedmoor had been flooded with raw sewage, and she said she thought SGWASA should assume responsibility for the cleanup and restoration costs.

“Where is the accountability in being responsible to your customers?” Little asked, adding, “this is going to bankrupt my mother.”

Board member Tim Karan said later in the meeting that the situation was “unfortunate” but that SGWASA ratepayers should not be held financially responsible for the incident.

Karan also responded to concerns about water quality by saying the dissolved solids in the water affect its appearance but are not the health hazard that some claim.

He also addressed water heater concerns, saying it’s important to follow recommendations for preventive maintenance.

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