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LAUREL – Laurel residents have been notified that its city drinking water tested above threshold limits for nitrates.
At a special council meeting last week, City Administrator Dan Kuhlman said two consecutive water tests came in slightly above the allowable limits. As a result, the city’s drinking water has been switched to an older well.
“Aswegetintothesummermonths, that may be harder to do as it doesn’t have the capacity,” he told council members. “All the water running throughthepipesrightnowisfromthe old well and that gets tested annually. . . . It’s good water.”
Test drilling on a potential site for a new well continued on Friday.
Because of the increased nitrates, the city was placed on an administrative orderbytheNebraskaDepartment of Environment and Energy. The city hasalreadymettheadministrativeorder requirementsbyusingengineering firm JEO, Norfolk, and having a plan developed to address the issue.
As part of the administrative order, city personnel and council members must undergo specific training put on byWichitaStateUniversity.Kuhlman reported he is still looking into those details.
The city has other guidelines to follow with the final implementation, like a new well, to solve the issue by 2028.
“They’ve got so many communities on administrative order right now for nitrates,” Kuhlman said. “Some of them have been on it for three or four years. It’s hard to find good, clean water. We’re not unique.”
The city is providing bottled water for infants through six months of age, and for women who are pregnant or nursing.
