After getting their water repeatedly tested, the Larry and Brenda Kuhn decided to buy a self-test kit so they could test the water themselves. The results were not what they were hoping for.

They live just about three miles from the town of Fairview, and maybe half a mile over the Monongalia-Marion County line. For 40 years, they've deal with a tepid situation trying to get fresh and safe drinking water. But now they claim, even with the treated water, that something isn't quite right with the supply.

"Our water is not even fit for dishes," said Brenda Kuhn. "I don't feel safe with washing dishes."

Kuhn also told 5 News that the tested water had come back basically "absent of chlorine." That's where they may have a point about the water supply. Documents obtained by 5 News show that the chlorine levels are too low, and that this isn't the first reported instance of it happening in the area.

Chlorine in tap water is used as an efficient disinfectant, and it's use has allowed us to use tap water without fear of a water borne disease like cholera. But these levels are at 0.05 mg/L. They should be at 0.2. mg/L. Both Larry and Brenda Kuhn got sick, though admittedly with different issues. But they said that their neighbors also started getting sick more often.

"Two down [Daybrook] road," she said. "I can tell you for sure. Possibly there are more who got sick from the water on the other side of Fairview."

The Kuhn family is frustrated. Every agency they call refers them to somebody else. So now they buy bottled water by the gallon.

"It's not a few gallons," she says. "It's like 10 or 15 gallons of water."

Even during today's interview we tested the water using a self-test kit. The chlorine levels remained low.

"We know it doesn't [have chlorine]," said Brenda. "There's nothing that showed up there [during the test]."

We dropped six drops of chlorine test solution into a small beaker of water as part of the test. The water is supposed to change color based on how much chlorine is in it. It remained crystal clear, which in this case is a bad thing.

So what can they do? It seems that the responsibility to properly flush the lines belongs to the town of Fairview and Chief Water Operator Chris Scritchfield. Neither the city or Scritchfield returned a call for comment.

http://m.wdtv.com/wdtv.cfm?func=view...llnesses-20756


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