BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — University of Kentucky researchers will return to Martin County next week to present findings from a five-year study on drinking water safety and disinfection byproducts (DBPs), continuing a research effort that began with a pilot study in 2018.
The Mountain Drinking Water Study report-back meetings will take place Nov. 3 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Martin County Senior Citizens Center in Inez and Nov. 4 at the same time at the Warfield Park Community Center. Both sessions are open to the public.
The five-year project, led by the University of Kentucky in partnership with Martin County Concerned Citizens, examined DBPs in drinking water systems across Martin and Letcher counties. DBPs are chemical compounds that form when chlorine reacts with organic matter in water. While chlorination is necessary to prevent disease, long-term exposure to higher DBP levels has been linked to cancer and developmental health risks.
The study trained residents as “community scientists” to collect monthly water samples from taps and local sources. The goal was “to better understand how DBPs form in Appalachian water systems and to work with communities to identify strategies for reducing exposure.”
The latest project follows a yearlong pilot study, also led by UK and Martin County Concerned Citizens, that raised early alarms about contamination in Martin County’s drinking water. Conducted from December 2018 through 2019, the pilot project found that nearly half of the water samples collected from 97 homes exceeded one or more federal contaminant limits.
Nearly all participants reported problems with odor, taste, appearance or water pressure, and only 12% said they drank their tap water.
The pilot results pointed to the need for long-term monitoring and infrastructure improvements, which became the foundation for the broader five-year study now concluding.
From 2006 through late 2017, the Martin County Water District recorded 35 violations of federal limits for disinfection byproducts, among the highest in Kentucky. The district reduced its monitoring sites from four to two in late 2017. Since then it has reported no new violations, an improvement that residents say may not fully reflect conditions across the county’s wide service area.
The upcoming meetings will present final data from the five-year study, discuss health implications, and explore next steps for protecting drinking water.