The city of Kimballton in Audubon County has issued a bottled water advisory for the entire community following a pressure loss.
On May 7, Kimballton Public Works reported the system’s wells failed to come online, resulting in the water tower being depleted of water.
Approximately 207 service connections have been affected. City officials have notified residents via Facebook and have also posted notices throughout the community. The system is currently in the process of refilling the tower.
The city issued a public notice on April 11 due to manganese above the health advisory level. Although manganese is a common, naturally-occurring mineral found in rocks, soil, groundwater, and surface water, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed a health advisory level for manganese in drinking water of 0.3 mg/L, which is intended to be protective of lifetime exposure for the general population. Further, the US EPA recommends that the general population should not ingest water with manganese concentrations greater than 1 mg/L for more than a total of 10 days per year.
Public works staff have collected manganese samples from the distribution system. Because the city is waiting for sample results to determine next steps, the April 11 public notice is still in effect.
Please do not give the water to adults and children of any age. Adults, children, and infants who drink water containing manganese above the health advisory level may be associated with adverse health effects. Bottled water or an alternative source should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, and food preparation until further notice.
The water may be used for bathing and other similar purposes.
Water, juice, and formula for children under six months of age should not be prepared with tap water. Bottled or other water low in manganese should be used for infants until further notice.
DO NOT BOIL THE WATER. Boiling, freezing, filtering, or letting water stand does not reduce the manganese level. Excessive boiling can make the manganese more concentrated because manganese remains behind when the water evaporates.
The advisory will remain in effect until lab samples have come back negative for bacteria.
