I understand there have been some concerns about the water quality within our community. I wanted to share some information to help you have access to water data as well as information about Waverly’s water sampling process. Groundwater is never just the chemical compound of H20; it travels around the Earth picking up minerals, calcium, magnesium, etc. However, to reduce contaminants and pollutants in our drinking water, the Clean Water Act of the United States (CWA) was established. The CWA establishes the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States and regulating quality standards for surface waters. https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-clean-water-act. Every water system in the United States must follow these rules. Each state also adopts many of these rules as Nebraska has under Title 179.  Waverly is in compliance with the Clean Water Act of the United States.  

Each year, the State of Nebraska sends out a routine sample schedule and cost estimate to all public water systems in the state. These water systems, including Waverly’s, must comply with this schedule and gather samples from either pre-determined sample sites (quantity of sites depends upon population), the distribution system, or directly from the wells themselves. Once the samples are collected, they are sent to the state for testing. The results from all tests in every public water system in the state are published and maintained on this site – https://drinkingwater.ne.gov/.  If there is an issue with one of the results, the state immediately lets the city know. The city is then required, by law, to notify the public. Systems are required to come into compliance which can sometimes lead to further treatment of the water.  For example, a sample reveals an unsafe amount of E. coli in the water. Once the city is notified, they will immediately issue a boil water advisory until it is tested at a safe level.

Now to talk specifically about nitrates. The EPA’s maximum allowed contaminate level is 10 mg/l which is approximately equivalent to the World Health Organization’s guideline. Nitrates are tested directly at the well sites; Waverly has eight wells. Once water is pumped from these wells, it is injected and mixed before going into the distribution system to flow to your house. If we have two wells and one of those wells has a nitrate level of 10 mg/l and the other is at 2 mg/l, this makes an average of 6 mg/l. This means the level at which it is distributed to your house will be 6 mg/l which is less than the maximum level.

For households with RO systems, keep in mind these need to be maintained and filters need to be changed to ensure it is working properly. For households with water softeners, these also need to be maintained to ensure proper function. These could be some reasons why your water pressure decreases at certain times. As always, follow specific manufacturer recommendations.