COLUMBIA, MO — Although the drinking water here meets all federal safe drinking water standards, the presence of chlorides in supply wells is an indication that trace levels of other contaminants also may be lurking in source water, the Columbia Missourian reported November 3.

Tom O’Connor, an environmental engineer who sits on the city's Environment and Energy Commission as well as the Water and Light Advisory Board, said the source of the chlorides is treated wastewater. The treated effluent, although funneled far from the supply wells in the Missouri River bottoms at McBaine, is finding its way into the city’s supply.

O’Connor said that means that other potentially harmful contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals and household chemicals, also could be in the city’s source water.

The city had been considering a proposal to drill a new well near the existing wells with elevated levels of chlorides. City Council members decided at a November 3 meeting to postpone moving forward on the well-drilling project to allow for further study of proposed placement of the well, the report said.

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