City of Bloomington utilities neglect to notify IDEM of April water samples

Indianapolis, Indiana – The City of Bloomington acknowledged in a news release on Monday that samples of the total organic carbon in the city’s drinking water from April had not been reported. The failure to disclose was brought on by a shipment issue.

The City of Bloomington regularly analyzes the quality of its drinking water on-site, according to Holly McLauchlin, manager of utility communications for the city. However, for more involved testing, samples must be transferred to various labs in Bloomington and other parts of Indiana.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) was notified of the inaccuracy by the City of Bloomington on May 9. The error, according to the city, was simply the result of a lack of reporting, and the quality of Bloomington’s drinking water never dropped. The total organic carbon samples from May, according to the press statement, were far under the 0.05 milliliters per liter limit established by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The quantity of carbon atoms in organic substances inside a water sample is measured as total organic carbon. For organic pollutants in drinking water, it acts as a helpful baseline. Certain organic substances can increase the risk of cancer, interfere with fertility, harm organs, and have other negative health effects if used over an extended period of time.

Vic Kelson, director of utilities, stated in the news statement that this was the first error in two years.