Braiman: ‘Our Water is Safe’

Buffalo Grove Village President Jeff Braiman said he wanted to set the record straight on a few issues Monday night.

Two weeks after former Trustee Lisa Stone expressed concerns about a slew of topics, Braiman said there is no need for alarm when it comes to the quality of Buffalo Grove's drinking water, among other issues.

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“I think there’s some possible misinterpretations being sent around,” he said.

Specifically, he said:

• “She gave the impression that there is some conspiracy involved” regarding the removal of past board meeting videos from the village’s website. “The village never had a password, nor was one ever lost,” Braiman said. Instead, he said, the village’s former videographer hosted board meeting videos on his own site. When he died last year, videos he shot were removed because village officials did not have access to his website. Buffalo Grove is only required to keep video recordings for 30 days, Braiman noted, but the village maintains an archive of the footage at . Residents who wish to watch meetings from 2005 to the present — regardless of whether the footage is available online — can request a DVD from village staff.
• The village has no jurisdiction over what Stone dubbed a “bogus address” of 800 Krause Drive in Buffalo Grove. The address is for a water treatment facility and wells that serve homes in unincorporated Deerfield’s Pekara subdivision. “It has a Buffalo Grove address for postal and fire dispatch purposes only,” said Braiman, who emphasized that the village “has never controlled, operated or interfered with the operation of that facility.” Because it’s unincorporated, Lake County maintains the facility, he said.
• There’s no reason to worry about the quality of Buffalo Grove’s water, Braiman said. “I can assure everybody that our water is safe,” he said. “There is a routine process and procedure taken by the village staff to make sure our water is safe, that it meets [Environmental Protection Agency] standards. In fact, it is better than the standards. It exceeds those standards.” Water from the village’s wells, which would be tapped if Lake Michigan water was compromised, also is tested and meets the EPA’s standards, he said. Lake County tests water in unincorporated areas.
• A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency official recently responded to a number of questions that Stone raised about the Land and Lakes landfill. The email, which was sent to Stone and to village officials, said “all of her concerns are groundless,” Braiman said. (The email, which was shared with Buffalo Grove Patch, is attached.)

“I think that should hopefully solve any concerns that we have. Any questions regarding anything in the village, we are more than happy to deal with,” Braiman said.

Braiman’s remarks can be viewed on the board meeting video posted on the village’s website. They begin about 11 minutes into the meeting.

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