Published: June 10, 2006 12:13 am         

Nitrate reading elevated in water

Staff reports



Officials with a Garfield County rural water district are working on plans to drill a new well to alleviate a problem with high nitrates in the water.

Garfield County Rural Water District 1, also known as Kremlin-Hillsdale Rural Water District 1, has received a permit from Oklahoma Water Resources Board for the new well. Also, a permit has been approved by Department of Environmental Quality, plans have been drawn up by an engineer and bids have been received from construction companies.

Mean-while, residents in the water district are be-ing warned not to give the water to infants younger than 6 months or use it to make formula, according to a press release by Dwayne E. Janzen, water district operator.

Bottled water or other water low in nitrates should be used for infants until further notice, he said. High nitrate levels in water can cause Blue Baby Syndrome in infants. Symptoms include shortness of breath and a blue coloring of the skin. Immediate medical attention is needed, Janzen said in the release.

Boiling water will not help and can make nitrates more concentrated, he said. Freezing, filtering or letting water stand do not reduce the nitrate level.

Adults and children older than 6 months are not affected. However, pregnant women may wish to talk to their doctor, Janzen said.

Work on the well should begin this summer, Janzen said.

“We will let you know when the amount of nitrate is again below the limit,” he said. “The water district is in the process of drilling a new well with low levels of nitrate water that can be mixed with the high-nitrate water.”

Results received May 16 of water samples showed nitrate levels at an average of 10.8 micrograms per liter, slightly above the accepted standard of 10 micrograms per liter.

Nitrates can come from natural, industrial and agricultural sources, particularly fertilizer.