Many Mountain Green residents have been operating under a drinking water warning since Oct. 20.
The Wilkinson Cottonwood Mutual Water Company, which serves about 260 people in Mountain Green, published the warning after finding high levels of nitrate in routine water samples.
"It is a big deal," said Ken Bousfield, division director of the Utah Division of Drinking Water.
"It is important the word get out to adults supervising infants."
"Nitrate in drinking water is a serious health concern for infants less than six months old," according to a water company flier recently posted on residents' doors.
Bousfield agreed, saying nitrates can bond with oxygen in the bloodstream, decreasing the transfer of oxygen to the body.
For infants, it is an acute contaminant that could mean "the baby is breathing OK, but suffocating," he said. "It is to be taken seriously."
Infants younger than six months who drink water containing excessive nitrates could become seriously ill and may die if symptoms are not treated. The flier warns parents to look for symptoms of "blue baby syndrome," including blueness of skin and shortness of breath.
"Symptoms in infants can develop rapidly, with health deteriorating over a period of days," the flier reads.
By Nov. 18, the warning was lifted from residents in the upper water zone, including those in the Fox Hollow subdivision and the neighborhoods immediately surrounding the new Mountain Green Elementary School.
However, the warning continues for residents in the lower water zone, including homes on Old Highway Road and Cottonwood Canyon Road, as well as subdivisions including Rosehill, the Old Cottonwoods, Silverstone, Mountain Brook Estates, Rollins Ranch, Coventry Cove, Lambs, and Cottonwoods phase 1.
In that zone, nitrate levels are between 8.0 and 12.7 milligrams per liter. The state standard is 10 milligrams per liter, Bousfield said.
"Levels have been rising, but once it passed the threshold of 10, it was a new ballgame."
Bousfield declined to identify the cause of the increasing nitrate levels, saying, "There is no smoking gun here."
However, speculation in the community has centered on the use of nitrate fertilizers on lawns in an area that has seen significant residential growth in recent years.
Company officials have said they will inform residents as soon as nitrate levels have decreased.
"We continue to monitor the wells and the distribution system daily," according to the flier.
"Unfortunately, this could take a few more days or months depending on what has caused the levels to spike like they have."
Bousfield said weather could slow the process of tapping into a new water source, even though an existing well has been identified as a candidate.
Water company officials said they are trying to expedite the process and are staying in weekly contact with state drinking water engineers.
Because the contaminated well represents 80 percent of the company's water source, the company is "aggressively" working on an alternate source of water, Bousfield said.
"Turning it off is not an option. We and they are concerned with the health and impact on people there. They have been very cooperative and responsive," Bousfield said of the water company.
In the meantime, parents should use bottled water for their infants and avoid boiling water for drinking, as that can actually concentrate nitrate levels as water evaporates. The water is safe for fire protection, flushing toilets, and washing clothes, Bousfield said.
Although the main concern is infants, company officials are also warning pregnant women to consult their doctors about drinking the water.
Comments