Hempfield Water Authority issues drinking water warning citing high nitrate levels

Editor’s note: This story was updated to include comment from the state Department of Environmental Protection sent in a Friday evening email.

High nitrate levels are directly impacting about 2,000 people in East and West Hempfield townships after the townships’ water authority issued a drinking water warning.

Hempfield Water Authority, which serves about 6,800 people in portions of both townships, warned its customers not to give water to infants younger than 6 months after recording nitrate levels of 10.8 milligrams per liter (mg/L), which is above the maximum level of 10 mg/L set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The authority said infants younger than 6 months who drink water containing the excess levels of nitrates could become seriously ill and, if not treated, die.

Anyone older than 6 months can drink the tap water, according to the authority.

Boiling the water will not reduce the levels, the authority said. Instead, it noted excessive boiling can make the nitrates more concentrated because nitrates remain when water evaporates.

Authority Superintendent Steve Gohn on Friday said the authority is working with the state Department of Environmental Protection to resolve the issue, but there currently is no timeline for when the issue may be resolved.

While the warning is posted at www.ehwater.com/notification/drinking-water-warning/, Gohn said the authority phoned customers directly impacted by the elevated nitrate levels Thursday and is working on notices to mail to those customers next week.

The authority detected the elevated nitrate levels during its quarterly monitoring of its public water system, state DEP Deputy Director of Regional Communications John Repetz said in a Friday evening email to LNP | LancasterOnline.

Repetz wrote the public notice will remain until the nitrate levels drop below the maximum contaminant level.

“DEP will continue to monitor the situation and will collaborate with (the authority) if treatment or permit modifications for (the authority’s public water system) are needed,” Repetz wrote.