Quality, treatment and testing
- How often is water tested?
- Why do you use carbon?
- Is there lead in the water provided by M.U.D.?
- How much fluoride is in the water?
- Will I lose the benefits of fluoride in my drinking water if I install a home water treatment device?
- What is crytosporidium?
- Are there special precautions people with cancer or AIDS should take?
- Why do pipes build up scale?
- Are radioactive wastes detected in the Missouri River from OPPD's nuclear power plant at Fort Calhoun?
- Do chloramines affect my swimming pool?
- Will the water filter I've been using to remove chlorine from my watr at home also remove chloramines?
- What is hard water?
- I heard we have high levels of iron in our water. I noticed a slight build-up of rust on my plumbing fixtures and had rust disease on my grass. What is being done to prevent this from happening?
- Is water with chlorine safe to drink?
- Should I be concerned about chlorine in the water I use for baths or showers?
- I heard aluminum is used to treat water. Does it cause Alzheimer's disease?
- Does lithium in M.U.D. water prevent heart attacks?
- What causes air bubbles in my glass of water?
- What does potability mean?
The water is tested throughout the treatment process. After the treated water leaves our plants, we test it daily throughout the distribution system. In fact, we conduct a minimum of 300 tests a month for bacteria alone.
Every test is conducted in strict accordance with every requirement set by EPA and Nebraska Health and Human Services.
Do you perform taste and odor tests on water samples?
Odor tests are performed a minimum of once a month on both the Missouri River water and on tap water. We also have a special device in the lab which we use to monitor the odor of the tap water on a 24-hour basis. The only time the taste of the water is checked is if there has been a complaint about the taste by a customer. We then will obtain a sample of that water and check its taste. During spring runoff, we check odor daily or as often as necessary.
Carbon remove tastes and odors from the water. The tastes and odors are caused by decaying vegetation and other wastes that are produced during the spring runoff. Carbon also removes pesticides such as atrazine and volatile organic compounds.
Is there lead in the water supplied by M.U.D.?
Our water quality surpasses all federal and state standards. The current standard for lead is 15 parts per billion.
Many homes may have lead service pipes or copper plumbing with lead soldered joints. When water is corrosive, lead can be dissolved into the water from the pipes. The water supplied by M.U.D. is not corrosive. It actually protects the water from lead in pipes or joints by forming a harmless buildup of minerals inside the pipes.
Steps to Limit Lead Exposure in Drinking Water
While water providers have taken steps to limit lead in drinking water, you can take the following steps if you are concerned about your lead exposure:
- You can't see, smell or taste lead in your water. Testing at the tap is the only way to measure the lead levels in your home or workplace. If you choose to have your tap water tested, be sure to use a properly certified laboratory. Testing usually costs between $20 and $100.
- Flushing your water tap is a simple method to help you avoid high lead levels. Flushing clears water from your plumbing and home service line to ensure you are getting drinking water from the main, where lead is rarely present. Let the water run from the tap until it is noticeably colder (this may take two minutes or more) before using it for cooking or drinking. Flushing the tap is particularly important when the faucet has gone unused for more than a few hours, because the longer water resides in your home's plumbing, the more lead it may contain.
- The water from this "first flush" need not be wasted. You can use it for other purposes such as watering plants. You also might consider drawing your drinking or cooking water shortly after a high-use water activity such as bathing or washing. Those activities will flush a significant amount of water from your home's pipes.
- If you live in a high-rise building with many water pipes, flushing the tap may not be effective in reducing lead levels. If you are concerned about lead in your drinking water, talk to your landlord or consult your local health department about ways to minimize your exposure.
- Use only cold water for cooking or drinking. Lead leaches more easily into hot water than cold water. Boiling water DOES NOT remove lead.
- Have a licensed plumber determine if your home contains lead solder, lead pipes or pipe fittings that contain lead. A plumber can also determine if your home has a lead service line connecting your home plumbing to the community water system's water main. The presence of these materials does not mean you have lead in your water, but the potential exists.
- Make sure that repairs to copper piping do not use lead solder.
- Some home treatment devices remove lead, but not all do. Before you purchase a home treatment device, you should verify the manufacturer's claims. A good resource to assist you is NSF International.
- Once a treatment device is installed, make sure it is properly maintained. Using bottled water is also an alternative. (Information on the lead levels in bottled water is available from bottled water manufacturers.)
- Consult with your family doctor or pediatrician to receive a blood test for lead and learn more about the health effects associated with exposure. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends all children be tested for lead.
How much fluoride is in the water?
The Missouri River has naturally occurring fluoride in the range of 0.5 to 0.6 parts per million. We add enough fluoride to make the tap water concentration approximately 1 part per million.
Will I lose the benefits of fluoride in my drinking water if I install a home treatment device?
Certain types of home treatment devices will remove 85 percent to more than 95 percent of all the minerals in water, including fluoride. These are reverse osmosis, distillation units and deionization units (not water softeners-they leave fluoride in the water). If you use one of these types of devices, consult with your dentist about fluoride and possibly your doctor about iodine supplements.
Cryptosporidium is a protozoan parasite and one-celled animal too small to be seen without a microscope. It's common in surface waters (lakes and rivers), especially when these waters contain a high amount of sewage or animal waste.
Cryptosporidium can cause symptoms that include diarrhea, nausea, stomach cramps or all three. Because many other conditions can produce these same symptoms, a special laboratory test is needed to find out whether Cryptosporidium is the cause.
The District monitors the raw and treated water at both treatment plants for Cryptosporidium with monthly tests. It has never been found in our treated water.
Are there any special precautions people with cancer or AIDS should take?
Immuno-compromised people-such as those with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some older adults and infants-may be particularly at risk from infections. These people should get advice about drinking water from their health care providers. For more information, contact the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline, 800.426.4791 or go to their website, (www.epa.gov/safewater).
Usually a thin coating of calcium carbonate (scale) helps to prevent the corrosion of pipes. Scaling may occur in the hot water pipes due to precipitation of some of the hardness found in the water. At the Florence Water Treatment Plant approximately 35 percent of the hardness is removed from the raw Missouri River water before it is put into our distribution system.
Are radioactive wastes detectable in the Missouri River from OPPD's nuclear plant at Fort Calhoun?
Radioactive wastes from OPPD's nuclear power plant have not been detected.
Do chloramines affect my swimming pool?
No. You still will need a free chlorine residual to retard algae and bacteria growths. Contact your local pool supply stores for specific information.
Will the water filter I've been using to remove chlorine from my water at home also remove chloramine?
Any activated carbon water filter will remove chloramine just as it removes chlorine. However, consult your manufacturer for specific information.
(Answers to some of the technical questions in this section were taken from Plain Talk About Drinking Water by Dr. James M. Symons. The book is available through the Omaha Public Library. For more information on bottled water, see the FDA website: http://www.fda.gov.)
Hardness in drinking water is caused mainly by two minerals -- calcium and magnesium. If calcium or magnesium is present in your water in substantial amounts, the water is said to be hard because making a lather or suds for washing is (hard) difficult to do. Water containing little calcium or magnesium is called soft water.
I heard we have high levels of iron in our water. I noticed a slight build-up of rust on my plumbing fixtures and had rust disease on my grass. What is being done to prevent this from happening?
M.U.D. water has negligible amounts of iron so the water should not be causing the problem.
We lime-soften the water to about 170 milligrams per liter, which is the same as 10 grains per gallon of hardness. This is soft enough to be suitable for all home uses.
During lime-softening, the lime (calcium) added is removed from the water along with calcium and magnesium (hardness) naturally present in the water. (In home softeners, sodium is addedd to the water in exchange for the hardness removed)
M.U.D.'s water will deposit small amounts of calcium carbonate in your pipes and on fixtures. It is a tan color. This is good because this means the water does not dissolve chemicals, such as copper, from your plumbing.
How does chlorine kill bacteria?
Chlorine oxidizes the bacteria, destroying it.
Is water with chlorine safe to drink?
Many tests have shown that the amount of chlorine found in treated water is safe to drink, although some people may object to the taste. Chlorine in drinking water does not cause diarrhea in humans or animals.
Should I be concerned about the chlorine in the water I use for baths or showers?
No, for three reasons:
- Chlorine will not be absorbed into the skin and get into your body.
- The amount of chlorine in the water is too low to harm the skin itself. More chlorine is found in swimming pools than in tap water.
- There have not been any reports of danger from breathing the chlorine that gets into the air during a shower.
I hear aluminum is used to treat drinking water. Does it cause Alzheimer's disease?
Aluminum-containing chemicals, called alum or aluminum sulfate, are used to treat most surface waters. These chemicals trap dirt and then form large particles in the water that settle out so very little aluminum stays in the water.
Considerable publicity was given to some studies suggesting that more people were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in areas where drinking water contained small amounts of aluminum. According to most Alzheimer's disease experts, these reports are not accurate.
Aluminum is a natural chemical that occurs in many foods, including tea. Even if you live where the level of aluminum in drinking water is much above average, your intake from food would be about 20 times your intake from drinking water.
Aluminum is not regulated by the EPA because there is no reliable scientific data that shows it's dangerous.
Does lithium in M.U.D. water prevent heart attacks?
We have no statistical data on this assertion.
What causes air bubbles in my glass of water?
Air in water occurs naturally and is released when cold water is warmed by sitting in household plumbing lines or hot water heaters.
Air also can occur in water following routine repairs to water lines. There is no health risk associated with air in water.
Potability means the quality of being drinkable.
(Answers to some of the technical questions in this section were taken from Plain Talk About Drinking Water by Dr. James M. Symons. The book is available through the Omaha Public Library.)
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