August 29, 1999
After tire fire, Tiffin water may not be affected
By Malinda Ruble
Staff Writer
The runoff from the Kirby Tire fire in Sycamore last week may not have an effect on the water for Tiffin residents.
Dave Little, manager of the Tiffin office of the Ohio American Water Co., said Saturday the contaminants are being diluted via aeration and will not reach the Tiffin area as soon as predicted.
"The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) called today and we've been down there. It appears to be dissipating rapidly. Any remnants won't be here until Tuesday,'' he said.
EPA officials originally predicted the plume would reach Tiffin waterways by Saturday.
"The longer it goes, the more it's evaporating. All of the testing we've done has come up negative,'' he said. "They're still testing, but there is nothing in there so far that, without any problems, we can not remove.''
However, Little said he still encourages Tiffin residents to use precaution.
"I still encourage Tiffin residents to listen to the news, and if we have anything we see coming up, we'll make sure we'll get it (word) to everybody. Right now we're feeling much more comfortable and we think we can treat it without any problems,'' he said.
In the event of a long-term need, although it is not foreseen at this time, voluntary conservation may be requested of Ohio-American customers and they may be asked to avoid unnecessary water usage during a specified time period.