originally posted on June 30, 2016

By 2018, city water officials say, they won’t have to issue advisories like the one Thursday, when high nitrate levels in drinking water in parts of the Columbus area triggered a warning for pregnant women and babies. The Columbus Division of Water announced just after noon that last week’s hard rains had driven fertilizer and other contaminants into the Scioto River, ultimately raising nitrate levels in the drinking-water supply at the Dublin Road Water Plant beyond accepted environmental standards.

By Lori Kurtzman, The Columbus Dispatch

By 2018, city water officials say, they won’t have to issue advisories like the one Thursday, when high nitrate levels in drinking water in parts of the Columbus area triggered a warning for pregnant women and babies.

The Columbus Division of Water announced just after noon that last week’s hard rains had driven fertilizer and other contaminants into the Scioto River, ultimately raising nitrate levels in the drinking-water supply at the Dublin Road Water Plant beyond accepted environmental standards.

In the affected area, women who are more than 30 weeks pregnant and infants younger than 6 months are advised not to drink tap water or consume it in infant formula, juice or cereal. High nitrate levels can be deadly for babies, causing symptoms including shortness of breath and blue coloring of the skin.

The advisory, which is likely to last for days, includes parts of Downtown, the city’s West and Southwest sides, Grandview Heights, Grove City, Hilliard, Lincoln Village, Marble Cliff, Upper Arlington, Urbancrest and Valleyview.

Tap water tested at the Dublin Road plant showed nitrate levels at 10.5 parts per million, said Division of Water Administrator Rick Westerfield. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency requires public notification when nitrate levels exceed 10 parts per million. The average level is 5 to 6 parts per million.

A similar warning a year ago lasted two weeks.

Columbus Health Commissioner Dr. Teresa Long said not to boil the water because doing so only concentrates the nitrates. Those who can’t afford bottled water should call 211 for help.

The water is safe for bathing and washing dishes and won’t affect most adults and older children, many of whom are exposed to higher nitrate levels in foods such as spinach and hot dogs, Long said.

As Westerfield and Long detailed the reason for the advisory and potential concerns Thursday at the water plant, work there continued on a $35 million ion-exchange facility that Westerfield said someday will eliminate any need for nitrate advisories.

The new building contains about a dozen tanks that Westerfield said function similar to water softeners, removing nitrates from millions of gallons of water a day. Construction is scheduled to wrap up by the end of 2017.

Some question why officials would choose a costly solution at the end of the pipeline rather than address the issue where it begins — with fertilizer runoff and other pollution far north of the city.

City officials saw Thursday’s advisory coming for days, after rain pounded the Scioto River watershed more than 60 miles north of Columbus. Most of the land is devoted to agriculture.

Adam Rissien, director of clean water for the advocacy group Ohio Environmental Council, said farmers and cattle producers should develop and follow plans to prevent pollution.

Columbus’ plan to treat the contaminated water, Rissien said, is “like going to the emergency room instead of taking measures to stay healthy.”