Nitrate Levels In Fairbury Drinking Water Continue To Rise

By Gordon HopkinsNitrate levels in the City of Fairbury’s drinking water supply is reaching perilously close to levels that are considered unsafe. The city’s water is currently supplied by three wells in the East Wellfield. Those three wells have consistently tested in the higher range for nitrates.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets the maximum contaminant level of nitrates in public drinking water supplies at 10 parts per million (ppm).If one well tests at higher than 10 ppm, the water can be blended with water from another well as long as the overall total is still below 10 ppm. Water Superintendent Dennis Gaston provided an update to the Fairbury City Council at a meeting on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, “Well three has to be blended. It cannot run by itself. It was 10.1 (ppm). And well three and two (together) was 9.06.”So, what happens if the city’s water supply reaches more than 10 ppm and cannot be brought down by blending? Councilperson Phil Rogge said, “If it’s over, your just buying bottled water.”Fairbury Mayor Spencer Brown added, “Pray for rain.” Water Sourcing ProjectThe city also has a well at Crystal Springs, which has shown a lower nitrate content. However, that well has been offline since 2021 due to the presence of biofilm. If that could be brought back online, then that water could be blended with water from the other wells, thus lowering the overall nitrate content.Before that can happen, the biofilm problem must be addressed. Biofilm is a collection of microorganisms in which cells stick to each other and to a surface.The City of Fairbury created a Water Sourcing Committee to locate a lower-nitrate drinking water source for the city. Currently, the committee is examining how to get that well up and running.However, according to City Councilperson Brian Schmidt, who is also chair of the Water Sourcing Committee, the process has been “painfully slow.” The Water Sourcing Committee was given a budget of $70,000 to bring the Crystal Springs Well back online. Thus far, approximately $ 32,000 has been spent, much of that on cleaning and disinfecting the galley system.However, the biofilm problem remains.Schmidt said, “At one time, we sent divers down in there. They scrubbed the whole galley system. They could visually see most of the (biofilm) build up was on iron. It didn’t seem to be on a the gravel. It didn’t seem to be on concrete. All of our underground piping is iron.”Schmidt added, “The visual stuff that the divers could see, I feel pretty confident we’ve got that taken care of. I think it’s gone. We’re just looking for one more piece of the puzzle out there somewhere. I feel like we’re closer we’re just not quite there yet.”

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