Grafton area water well testing recommended

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois Department of Public Health is advising residents who obtain their drinking water from private wells in the Grafton area to test their water for possible groundwater contamination. Routine testing of the city’s municipal water wells by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) indicates contamination could be present in the area’s private wells.

Although the contaminants were found in Grafton’s source water, contaminants are removed at the city’s water supply treatment plant to meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards so those on the public water supply are not affected.

Persons with private wells located between Dagget Hollow Road and ¼ of a mile east of Brown Street and from the Mississippi River extending 1/3 of a mile north, are encouraged to have their water tested by a private laboratory.

Contaminates detected in Grafton’s Source water include tetrachloroethylene (PCE), exceeding the groundwater quality standard and methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), trichloroethylene (TCE), cis-1,2-dichloroethylene (cic-1,2-DCE), and xylenes below the groundwater quality standards.

A list of private laboratories approved for testing can be obtained by calling Illinois Department of Public Health’s Edwardsville office at 618-656-6680. Once samples have been analyzed, residents can call the health department for an explanation of the test results.

The risk of adverse health effects depends on the level of contaminants in the water and the duration of exposure. Long-term exposure to these chemicals may increase the risk of liver and kidney damage.