City of Muscatine: Residents should still avoid full-body contact with Mississippi River.
MUSCATINE — Residents should still avoid swimming in the Mississippi River, but city officials said Wednesday that treated water is safe.
Individuals may become sick if river water is ingested.
City Communications Manager Kevin Jenison said it is the second time the ultra-violet disinfection system has broken down.
"That water is still clear and has no contaminants," Jenison said in an interview.
Water Pollution Control Director Jon Koch said Iowa Department of Natural Resources requires the city to notify residents who live downstream of the Mississippi River when the system breaks.
Muscatine was one of the first cities in Iowa to install a UV system, he said.
Jenison said Muscatine has not used chlorine to disinfect treated wastewater since the 1980s.
"That had its own problems, including having to use chlorine gas to disinfect the water and then having to run the water through another process to remove the chlorine before it could be discharged into the river," Koch said in the release.
The city will notify residents when the UV-disinfection system is functioning, which could take about one week.