Water violates treatment standard

Increased runoff into the Green River has resulted in more particles in drinking water treated by the Joint Powers Water Board, triggering an EPA violation.

Water treated at the Joint Powers Water Board facility in Green River recently violated EPA drinking water standards, according to a notice provided by the board. Water sampled on March 13 contained higher than permitted levels of turbidity, a measurement of cloudiness in the liquid. Water sampled was shown to have 1.49 units of turbidity, which exceeds EPA standards of not more than 1 unit. Normally, water from the treatment plant has less than 0.3 units of turbidity.

The water does not need to be boiled and the board isn’t aware of any contamination in the water supply as testing hasn’t shown the presence of disease-causing bacteria in the water.

Turbidity itself doesn’t cause health problems, but it can interfere with the disinfection of water treated at the facility and result in an increase of micro-organisms and viruses, which can cause a variety of ailments.

The notice states those with compromised immune systems, infants and seniors might be at a higher risk of being infected by micro-organisms and those concerned about drinking water can seek advice from a doctor or contact the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.