Map of impacted area of nitrate water advisory in Columbus. Click on the photo above to link to the interactive nitrate advisory area map. Credit: Courtesy of the city of Columbus.
The city of Columbus issued a nitrate advisory Monday to Columbus residents living in parts of the city receiving water supplied by the Dublin Road Water Plant.
A release from the city of Columbus warns residents in portions of Columbus not to give tap water to infants under the age of six months. The advisory also states that pregnant and nursing women as well as individuals with medical conditions should consult their doctor about nitrate concerns.
Adults in good health and older children can consume higher levels of nitrate, according to the release.
The nitrate advisory area includes parts of west, central and southwest Columbus, as well as Grandview, Marble Cliff, Upper Arlington and Hilliard. The area also includes West Campus and portions of off-campus areas along High Street and south of East 14th Avenue, as well as areas off- and on-campus located south of East and West 11th avenues.
An interactive map, indicating all impacted areas in blue, has been provided by the city of Columbus.
“Water supplied to the rest of the Columbus water distribution system does not contain elevated nitrate levels,” the release stated.
The nitrate level in tap water tested Friday at the Dublin Road plant registered 10.8 parts per million, exceeding the maximum contaminant level of 10 ppm, according to the release.
Infants who consume water exceeding the maximum containment level can contract “blue baby syndrome,” a possibly fatal condition in which an infant’s blood cannot carry a sufficient amount of oxygen throughout the body, causing serious illness and shortness of breath, according to the World Health Organization.
The release advised individuals with infants under the age of six months not to boil tap water in an attempt to remedy or decrease nitrate levels, and that doing so increases nitrate levels in tap water.
Individuals living within the advisory area with infants under the age of six months are advised in the release to use bottled water for baby formula.
Bottled water will be made available by the Ohio Department of Health and Franklin County Public Health to pregnant women and infants under the age of six months who are unable to obtain water and live within the advisory area from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and 4 to 6 p.m. at 240 Parsons Ave. and 4141 W. Broad St.
The release stated the Columbus Division of Water will continue monitoring the Dublin Road plant water supply and give updates and notification when the advisory is lifted.
