– We take very seriously the fact that there are errors and deficiencies in the water we supply, says unit manager for technical operations in Kvinesdal municipality Geir Netland. On Monday evening, it was discovered that large quantities of lye had flowed into the Storekvina drinking water spring for a short period of time. Kvinesdal municipality in Agder then sent out a message to residents of Storekvina that the water in the tap was brown and had high levels of lye. – Before it is used as drinking water, it must be drained for half an hour, alternating between cold and hot water. This must be done in all taps, informed the municipality in a text message to relevant water subscribers. The municipality asks residents who are concerned about whether they have ingested water with large amounts of lye to contact the emergency department. Several people have contacted the emergency department Netland informs news that two people have already contacted the emergency department. In addition, one person is looked after by health personnel after showering in the water. According to the newspaper Agder, the person must have experienced etching on the skin. The soda that is added to the drinking water comes from this tank. Photo: Lars Eie / news About 160 residents in the municipality get water from the drinking water spring. – It is still unclear to us what has happened, says Netland. He said that they added lye to the drinking water to regulate the pH to the desired value. – When we get water from a groundwater well it is a little too acidic and then lye will be added to bring it up to a pH of between 6.5 and 9.5. Netland says that they have a notification system that should have detected the incident. – Why this did not work in this case is something we will investigate. We will now investigate the case and find out what happened. All nine water works in the municipality must be checked after the incident. Geir Netland is unit manager for technical operations in Kvinesdal municipality. What is lye? Lye is a caustic solution used, among other things, in the production of detergent. Chemically speaking, lye is strongly basic hydroxide, for example sodium hydroxide (sodium hydroxide) or potassium hydroxide (potassium hydroxide), which is dissolved in water. Like acids, lye is the standard solvent in chemistry, according to Store Norske Leksikon. Lye is corrosive to skin and mucous membranes, and appears “smooth” and difficult to wash away, which means that lye spills on skin and mucous membranes must be removed immediately by rinsing with water. In case of spillage on the skin or splash in the eye, immediately rinse with water for at least 30 minutes. In the case of corrosive concentrations, rinsing must continue for several hours. Contact the emergency room, hospital or Poisons Information. Kvinesdal seen from Utsikten. About 150 residents from here receive drinking water from Storekvina. Photo: Hans Erik Weiby / news
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Lye in the drinking water – at least one injured – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
