The Rhode Island Department of Health has fined the Town of Westerly $7,500 and issued it a notice of violation for failing last month to tell Pawcatuck residents about an excessively high pH level in the water that Westerly provides to them.

The violation letter states that Westerly Water Department was required to report the Feb. 8 problem to the health department within 24 hours and to notify the public as soon as possible after that.

The water department notified the health department and the public five days after it discovered the problem. In his email report to the health department that day, Public Works Director Paul Corina said he “was not sure of the exact reporting requirements for this type of issue.”

In its violation letter, the health department said the public needed to be notified about potential past exposure to the chemical that caused the problem or if they had to flush their faucets before using water.

Westerly can agree to pay the fine or request a hearing within 30 days.

Corina said Wednesday that town officials are reviewing whether they will appeal the ruling. Corina said the water department has made several changes in its operating procedures and equipment to ensure the problem never occurs again. In addition, he said the water department is fully aware of the reporting requirements and will report any problem earlier than is required. 

Stonington police have said that on Feb. 9, a teenage girl who lives in a house on Elm Ridge Road first noticed the problem while taking a shower and told her father, who also felt a burning sensation from the water. Both declined medical treatment.

The water company, though, had discovered a problem on Feb. 8 and worked to address it before the report by the girl and her father the next day. An equipment malfunction resulted in a higher than normal level of potassium hydroxide being injected into the water, which raised its pH level.

The problem prompted residents to take to Facebook asking for information about the problem and what they should do. Stonington First Selectman Rob Simmons criticized Corina and Westerly Town Manager Derrik Kennedy for not informing residents about a water problem, not using the Stonington police department’s emergency alert system to do so and waiting to tell him until the next day.

The two towns now have reached an agreement in which Westerly will be required to report any problem with its water system to Stonington officials within two to three hours of the problem’s discovery.

j.wojtas@theday.com