Aberdeen issues public notice on turbid drinking water - Argus Leader

Aberdeen issues public notice on turbid drinking water

Aberdeen warns of 'increased chance of 'disease-causing organisms' in drinking water
Dominik Dausch

The City of Aberdeen is warning residents there is "an increased chance of disease-causing organisms in the drinking water" after the town's water system filters failed.

According to a public notice from the city, the Aberdeen Water Works Treatment Plant experienced mechanical malfunctions in two filters used to clean water and make it drinkable for residents.

The city noticed the malfunctions after a water sample taken on July 10 tested at 5.35 NTUs, or nephelometric turbidity units, which is more than five times the 1 NTU standard. The notice sent to residents indicated the water sample was taken on June 10, but Aberdeen City Manager Joe Gaa confirmed that was a typo.

Turbid water is caused by soil runoff and other sediments and particles entering a water source. This can make drinking water appear more cloudy than usual, but turbid water has no health effects by itself.

However, turbid water can disguise and allow the growth of disease-causing microorganisms, such as bacteria, parasites and viruses.

The notice indicates that boiling water or other decontamination efforts are not necessary, but Aberdeen residents with severely compromised immune systems, infants or the elderly are at increased risk and should contact their health care providers before drinking the water.

DANR downgraded violation because malfunctions didn't affect entire plant, city says

The city's notice states multiple contributing filters were taken offline after the water quality problems were detected. One of the two malfunctioning water filters has since been repaired, according to the notice, while the other remains offline until it can be fixed.

The South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources' Public Notice Handbook states that the public must be notified within 24 hours whenever the maximum allowable turbidity level in a single sample rises above 1 NTU.

Gaa told the Argus Leader that because only two filters were malfunctioning instead of the whole filtration system, the turbid water was diluted with adequate drinking water.

As a result, Gaa said, DANR downgraded the public notice requirement, allowing the city to report the issue within 30 days.

Aberdeen has a recent history of water quality woes

This is not the first time the plant has landed in murky waters, however, and Robert Braun, the former superintendent of the city's water treatment plant, is skeptical of the timing.

According to previous Argus Leader reporting, Braun said the city had incidents last year where detections of sediments and clay particles surpassed turbidity level standards despite treatment. This led the city to issue a public water notice in one instance, which Braun directly attributed to the lack of staff at the plant.

Braun, who quit his position during a city council meeting in May after airing a multitude of pent-up grievances at councilors, including allegations that plant operators had doctored certain lab tests, told the Argus Leader he believes the plant's problems coincide with a temporary water restriction issued on July 11 ― a day after the violating sample was reported to DANR ― in which residents were asked to limit water usage while the city conducted maintenance work on the plant.

The former superintendent opined the restriction was put in place due to the malfunctions, as well as a lack of chlorine gas and carbon to disinfect the water. He also said "the water has started to smell this week."

The former superintendent said the city should be more transparent when water quality issues arise.

"They had a water restriction that the city manager and mayor stated was for just simple maintenance of the filters," Braun said. "They lied to the public and the rest of the council as to what was the cause."

Dominik Dausch is the agriculture and environment reporter for the Argus Leader and editor of Farm Forum. Follow him on