The water department last week issued a message regarding changes in taste, odor, or color of drinking water.
These conditions are related to winter ice cover and seasonal mixing in the city’s drinking water reservoirs.
“While the taste, smell, or color can be unpleasant, the Water Division has confirmed that the water continues to meet all State and Federal drinking water standards.”
The department provided extensive details on geosmin, cyanobacteria, and maganese levels.
“Why are manganese levels closely monitored?
Exposure to manganese, especially to infants, can have associated health risks. State regulations advise that finished water should not exceed 0.3 mg/L for more than 10 days in any calendar year. This recommendation is protective for infants, who are more sensitive to manganese exposure, as well as adults who can be affected by long-term exposure. The City of Newburyport’s Water Division has been monitoring manganese levels daily to ensure levels are well below the regulations. In addition to public health protection, when levels are kept below 0.05 mg/L, staining and color issues are avoided.
In the short term, Newburyport’s Water Division will continue to monitor the manganese concentrations in surface water supplies and make appropriate adjustments to potassium permanganate dose at the raw water pump station as needed.
In the longer term, the city is in the planning stages of constructing a new water treatment plant that would include an appropriately designed chemical feed system to treat for manganese with infrastructure at the plant to effectively respond to the changing concentrations rather than relying on operations at the remote raw water pump station.” ♦
