WHITESTOWN, Ind. -- Thousands of Whitestown residents are receiving letters notifying them about a recent violation of the EPA’s drinking water standards.
Records show high levels of haloacetic acids for the Whitestown South district.
“The water in our system recently exceeded a drinking water standard,” read the letter. “Although this is not an emergency, as our customers you have the right to know what happened, what you should do, and what we are doing to correct the situation.”
The acids occur naturally when organic and inorganic materials in the water are chlorinated during the disinfection process, according to the letter.
Whitestown Utility evaluated its distribution system and started additional testing at entry points and determined Citizens Energy is the source of the problem with elevated levels of haloacetic acids.
Citizens Energy is aware of the problem and is working to reduce naturally occurring organics in the water, according to the letter.
"Citizens monitors these disinfection byproducts in our distribution system and complies with the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act," said Sarah Holsapple, spokesperson for Citizens Energy in a statement to Call 6 Investigates. "Whitestown South is a separate utility and is obligated to monitor its distribution system for the disinfection byproducts Additional chlorination of the water and age of the water in the distribution system can impact the levels of these disinfection byproducts."
Citizens continues to work closely with Whitestown to share data to help them manage their compliance obligations, Holsapple said.
The correspondence says the problem has been resolved, however, some people who drink water containing excess haloacetic acids over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer.
The neighborhoods receiving the letter were Royal Run, Walker Farms, The Anson Townhomes, The BLVD Apartments, Westhaven Apartments, The Woodlands, the Legacy Core, the Villas, Maplegrove and Harvest Park, according to Dax Norton, Whitestown Town Manager.
Online records show a violation issued to Whitestown South on June 15 regarding high levels of haloacetic acids during the period of January 1 to March 31, 2016.
The records show a result of 72.5 ug/L when the current standard or maximum contaminant level is 60 ug/L.
Residents with health concerns are asked to consult a doctor.
You can also contact the Whitestown Municipal Utilities office at 317-733-8584 for more information.
