WALLA-WALLA – Sam Rudnick, owner of Building 106 next to Stillwater Holdings Chevron in Walla Walla, has sent a letter to the Washington State Department of Ecology expressing his urgent concerns about the contaminated water filtration system.

According to Rudnick, there is a significant discrepancy between the planned design of the water filtration system installed after the gas disaster last September and the actual implementation, which has compromised the effectiveness of the system.

In the August 15 letter to Ecology, he notes that the current implementation appears to have created a closed-loop system that continuously drains groundwater through the filtration system and back into the soil rather than properly disposing of it through the municipal water system.

“The proposed design calls for filtered water from the filter system to be directed to the Rose Street sewer system to produce regular sanitary water,” Rudnick explained in the letter. “Instead, the water is directed to a janitorial sink in the building that is not connected to the Rose Street sewer system, but to a sewer line on Second Avenue that we know is defective. We suspect that the water will re-enter the soil through the defective line and be directed back into the groundwater collection basins in the basement, creating a closed loop system.”

Rudnick says there is evidence to support his concerns, including unusual water levels. He explains that despite the current dry season in August and the lack of significant rainfall, the groundwater collection basins in the basement of Building 106 are withdrawing significant amounts of water.

“This is unprecedented in the nearly 10 years we have owned the property,” Rudnick said.

Rudnick called on Ecology to immediately confirm that the filtered water is being properly transported to Walla Walla’s sewer system or to immediately design or re-implement a new system if the current system is proven ineffective.

In his letter, Rudnick said that if Ecology did not take immediate action, he would conduct his own validation measures and seek reimbursement for the associated costs. Ecology stated that the City of Walla Walla will conduct a dye test today (Tuesday) on the janitorial sink mentioned in Rudnick’s letter.