Chemical Mix-Up Leads To Bottled Water Advisory
By Peak Johnson
Officials in Anamosa, IA, issued a bottled water advisory after discovering that a mislabeled chemical was mistakenly added to the water supply.
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) lifted the advisory after determining that the chemical, triethanolamine, mostly used in the cosmetic and drug industry, was harmless, according to KWWL 7. Even though one to three gallons of the chemical were mixed into about 75,000 gallons of water storage, the chemical was diluted to a benign level.
A city worker noticed the wrong chemical had been added, later on finding out that a supplier mislabeled a container. Officials had advised people to drink bottled water while they determined what chemical had been mixed into the water.
“It’s a scary situation,” City Manager Alan Johnson told the Cedar Rapids Gazette. “Providing clean drinking water is our primary goal.”
The employee quickly shut down the pump but an automated system allowed a small amount of the chemical to mix with the city's supply, according to the Stamford Advocate. The DNR began working to identify the chemical after the employee noticed the chemical mixture that treats the water looked different.
Anamosa Water Superintendent Jim Henson was on vacation last Friday when he received a call from another city employee and a chemical distributor saying the color and “viscosity of the chemical mix” going into the city’s water didn’t look right.
“Nobody knew that the system could reboot itself,” Johnson told The Gazette. “When he [Henson] walked in the door Monday morning, he saw the pump was mixing.”
Henson did a manual override to prevent the automated system from restarting, Johnson added. He then alerted community members and the DNR, which distributed a news release warning residents to use bottled water.
Anamosa, an eastern Iowa city of about 5,500 people, flushed its water distribution system and contacted hospitals, schools, and restaurants about the advisory.
The chemical supplier, Viking Chemical, of Rockford, IL, determined the chemical was triethanolamine based on the look, feel, and smell of the substance, according to the DNR.