Tonight’s City Council agenda includes a resolution proposed by City Manager Mark Stevens, discussing the ad hoc water quality committee.

“Basically, the committee will be a liasion between the public and the city council for reviewing water quality issues and to make sure (the city) is in compliance with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations,” Director of Public Works Ron Naylor said.

One of the many issues for forming the committee was the radium in the water, Naylor said.

When asked why a committee was being formed if the radium in the water already was safe, Naylor said although the amount of radium allowable in the water is being raised, locally people are saying that the raised level is too high. These people want to keep the level at the current standard or even eliminate all radium from the water.

The committee also will be looking into the costs and feasiblity of all the various radium elimination options.

The committee will use standards set by the EPA and the Safe Water Drinking Act of 1986 to insure that DeKalb’s water is clean.

The committee will look for particles in the water including lead, copper, radon, organics and inorganics that might be potential contaminants, he said.

Stevens’ resolution states the committee should be made up of nine to 11 members, comprising two NIU members, (one student and one faculty member).

The committee also will consist of two technical people, two people who represent businesses in DeKalb, three members of single family homes in DeKalb, one member of multiple family homes, one member representing a public health agency and one member of the DeKalb Citizen Environmental Commission.

The committee, as proposed by Stevens’ resolution, is intended to be a temporary committee and will remain in existence no later than June 30, 1993.