State ties tainted Spencer water to error

The water contamination in Spencer that sickened more than 100 people last week was caused by workers fixing a pipe at a treatment plant who forgot to flip a switch when they left for the night, state environmental officials said yesterday.

The lapse let 34 gallons of undiluted lye seep into the drinking water supply for this central Massa chusetts town, prompting a two-day water ban that shut down businesses and disrupted the lives of thousands of residents.

The mistake was compounded when a notification system malfunctioned and did not notify town officials of a problem, according to preliminary results of the investigation.

An alarm sounded and flashed at the plant as the lye leaked into the water for 12 hours, but there was no one there overnight, said Martin Suuberg, a regional director for the state Department of Environmental Protection.

"We are trying to determine why the [remote] alarm system was not working," Suuberg said.

Gregory J. Karpowicz, the plant's chief operator, and Bruce R. Guyan were both reassigned yesterday to jobs outside water treatment while the investigation continues, said Carter Terenzini, the Spencer town administrator.

Karpowicz has worked for Spencer for five years and was first licensed as a water treatment worker in April 1996, according to town and state records.

Guyan has worked for the town for 12 years and has held a license since at least 1999, records show.

The two men were the town's only licensed water treatment workers.

A private company has temporarily taken over operation of the plant.

The state also referred Karpowicz and Guyan to the Board of Professional Licensure for possible disciplinary action.

Lye, or sodium hydroxide, is routinely added to water supplies to prevent corrosion in water pipes.

The pipe supplying lye in Spencer has been disconnected from the water supply, Terenzini said.