(Kimballton) — Residents in Kimballton are in a bottled water advisory through August 1.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says the 291 residents of the Audubon County community are under the advisory after the current construction of an upgraded water treatment plant has temporarily resulted in drinking water above the health advisory level for manganese at 1.77 mg/L. Although manganese is a common, naturally occurring mineral, officials say the Environmental Protection Agency has a health advisory level of 0.3 mg/L of the mineral in water.
The EPA recommends that infants up to six months of age should not be given water with manganese concentrations greater than 0.3 mg/L more than 10 days per year or use the water in formula for more than 10 days per year. But, officials recommend no adults or children of any age consume the water due to possible adverse side effects. Officials recommend using bottled water or an alternative source for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, and food preparation until further notice. However, the water may be used for bathing and other similar purposes.
But, officials say boiling, freezing, filtering, or letting water stand does not reduce the manganese level, and excessive boiling can make the manganese more concentrated.
For more information about manganese, visit the Iowa DNR’s website.
