City of Bloomington Utilities Notice of Drinking Water Violation

Page last updated on June 5, 2023 at 11:32 am

Holly McLauchlin, Communications Manager, Utilities

[email protected] or 812-349-3940

Bloomington, Ind. - In the month of April, City of Bloomington Utilities’ routine monthly samples of total organic carbon (TOC) were not reported to the state of Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) due to an error in shipping. This resulted in a violation (327 IAC 8-2.5-20 Failure to sample and/or report results) of drinking water standards set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This event was reported to IDEM on May 9th, 2023.

Water treatment plant staff implemented measures to correct the issue to prevent further violations in the future. This type of violation was due to a lack of reporting, and at no time was there a diminished quality of the drinking water supplied to our customers. Since notice of violation was received for April, water treatment plant staff have submitted May TOC samples that have been tested and are well within the acceptable reporting range. For more information about total organic carbon, and associated disinfectant byproducts data, please visit the City of Bloomington open data portal at https://data.bloomington.in.gov/

"CBU is vigilant in maintaining and generally surpassing the most rigorous water and wastewater quality standards," said Utilities Director Vic Kelson. "This small aberration is the first in the last two years, and we detected and addressed it promptly. Although the level of potential impact is minimal, CBU is committed to sharing information with the community about the safety of both our wastewater and our drinking water."

The following is required from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management in regards to this type of violation.

City of Bloomington Utilities is required to monitor drinking water for specific contaminants on a regular basis. The results of regular monitoring are an indicator of whether or not the drinking water meets EPA's health standards. The 4/1/2023 to 4/30/2023 testing for total organic carbon was either not performed or failed to comply with all the requirements of the stage 2 disinfectants and disinfection byproducts rule (Stage 2 DBPR); therefore, we cannot be sure of the quality of the water at that time.

This is not an immediate risk. If it had been, you would have been notified immediately. Some people who drink trihalomethanes in excess of the maximum contaminant level (MCL) over many years may experience problems with their liver, kidneys, or central nervous system, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer. Some people who drink water containing haloacetic acids in excess of the MCL over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer. You do not need to use an alternative

(e.g., bottled) water supply. However, if you have specific health concerns, consult your doctor.