Water In Osceola County City Is Contaminated

A cancer-causing byproduct has thousands of people in Osceola County thinking twice about drinking water from the tap. All the water in the town of Harmony (see map), in Osceola County, is contaminated.

TOHO Water Authority (TWA) officials say they've been having a problem with trihalomethanes on and off for about five years. Currently, the water at an old treatment facility is not up to standard, but is safe to drink. TWA sent a notice to its customers about the issue.

With its eco-friendly homes and water conservation program, Harmony prides itself on being Central Florida's largest green community. Recently, its reputation took a hit Steven Berube wasn't pleased with. Its water is contaminated.

"The water in the bowl is yellowish-green," Berube said.

And, worst of all, TWA reports there's a chemical compound in it that can cause cancer.

"Are you scared to drink your water?" WFTV reporter Q. McCray asked Berube.

"Not sure if scared is the proper term, but I'm hesitant and I definitely think about it," he said.

TWA adds chloramine to its water supply to comply with new more strict federal and state water purification standards. A byproduct from the disinfection process called TTHM is the problem; there's too much of it.

According to TWA officials, you'd have to drink the tainted water for decades for it to make you sick. Berube fears for the kids in the area.

"There are hundreds of kids here, and dogs, and the standards they're using are for 180 pound men," Berube said.

Right now, TWA only adds chloramine during the disinfection process. To solve the problem, starting next week, it will start adding chloramine during the distribution process too.

Like many in Harmony, Berube is optimistic and patient. It will take months to tell if the second injection point works. TWA is providing all 1,200 of its customers with faucet water filters in the meantime.

You can pick up the filters at the Harmony welcome center. If the second injection site doesn't help, there are talks TWA might have to replace the old water treatment facility, which would cost around a million dollars.

TWA doesn't face any fines at this time.