ORIGINAL NOTICE, FOR REFERENCE (SENT MARCH 2021)

Important Information about your Drinking Water 

Levels of Radium, (226 + 228) in De Pere Waterworks Above Standard

Between March 25 and March 26, 2021, 412,000 gallons of water from one of the City’s emergency wells discharged into our drinking water system.  The most recent sample from this well showed Radium (226 + 228) results of 8.17 pCi/L, which is above the EPA Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 5 pCi/L.  While this is not a violation of State and Federal Safe Drinking Water Regulations, we are required to notify you of this occurrence.

ADDITIONAL FOLLOW-UP INFORMATION (APRIL 2021)

Is the water safe to drink?

  • The water is safe to drink.

Am I or my family at risk?

  • Risk level to the community continues to be very low.

How will this affect my health?

  • Please consult your doctor with more specific health concerns

Is the event related to hacking events nationally?

  • This event is not related to any other events nationally.

Is the issue still occurring?

  • The event is not currently ongoing.  This was a short lived, onetime event between March 25 and 26.  

What has been done to mitigate this from happening again?

  • To prevent this from happening again we have adjusted our alarms, controls, and valves at the station.   

How did this water enter the water system?

  • The well water entered the reservoir before being pumped to the system. That water was blended and diluted with our normal reservoir water.

Why didn’t the water department notice it right away?

  • Because of the late night timing of the event, unfortunately the event was not discovered until after taking place. 

How much water containing the higher levels of radium entered the water system?

  • A little more than 400,000 gallons of the water containing higher than accepted levels of radium entered the system over two days.  As a contrast, we receive roughly 2 million gallons of water daily from Manitowoc’s Lake Michigan plant.

When was the last time the city tested the water for radium?

  • That well was last sampled and tested on March 4, 2020. 

Will you be doing more testing?

  • The DNR recommends that no further testing is needed at this time.

Is the radium water still in the system?

  • The contaminated water is estimated by the City and DNR to be gone from the distribution system. 

Why weren’t we notified sooner?

  • The City followed DNR guidance for notifying customers.  This event was not deemed to be an acute or immediate risk to health and safety. 

Will there be any more notices sent?

  • No further notifications are planned.

What were the current radium levels before the event?

  • The 2020 radium test showed the levels to be at 0.46.

What would be the risk to continued drinking of water containing higher levels of radium?

  • Consumption of water containing radium higher that 5.0 pCi/L over many years may increase the risk of getting cancer.

 

We apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused.