Water Well Awaits Lab Tests

By Greg Elwell, The Daily Oklahoman

Nov. 10–CASHION — A new water well is awaiting nitrate lab tests before it can be used in Logan County Rural Water District #2, officials said.

The district released a drinking water warning Tuesday, saying nitrate levels in the well being used now are above the allowed 10 parts per million, district Secretary-Treasurer Kay Tillman said.

An Oct. 31 test showed levels in the old well at 9.39 parts per million, but averaged with the 11.9 parts per million results of an Oct. 11 test, the water is still above the maximum contaminant level, according to a release from the district.

The district was ordered in 2001 by the state Department of Environmental Quality to bring the old well into compliance, and has been struggling to reduce nitrate levels. The water problem is caused by fertilizer used on nearby wheat fields, Tillman said.

Nitrate levels in drinking water that are about 10 parts per million can be dangerous to pregnant women and children younger than six months old.

Children older than six months old and adults can drink the water with a much lower risk of methemoglobinemia, or nitrate poisoning, because they can process nitrates better than infants, said John Harrington, Association of Central Oklahoma Governments water resources director.

The chances of being affected by nitrates at such low levels are minuscule, he said.

The recent results are much lower than the May nitrate results of 15 parts per million, Tillman said.

“It shows we’re doing better,” she said.

Stricter standards issued a decade ago, which lowered the acceptable rate from 20 parts per million to 10, are to blame for the warning, she said.

Still, a new well has been drilled and tested, she said. Results could return in a week and if tests show safe levels, that well will be used, she said.

Harrington said the water district could also consider a subsidy to local wheat farmers to not plant near the well.

In the meantime, infants and pregnant women should drink bottled water or other low-nitrate water until further notice, the release said.

The district covers southwest Logan County and southeast Kingfisher County, Cashion and the Cedar Valley Golf Course, Tillman said.

—–

To see more of The Daily Oklahoman, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.newsok.com.

Copyright (c) 2005, The Daily Oklahoman

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.