Water Violation Public Notice

The Hannibal Board of Public Works recently violated a drinking water standard.  To find out more about the violation please continue reading.  A hard copy of this notice has been sent to all HBPW water customers. 

To all water customers of Hannibal Board of Public Works:

This letter contains important information about your drinking water. 

In an effort to improve the level of treatment of our drinking water and comply with new EPA drinking water rules, in October 2015 the Hannibal Board of Public Works added ultraviolet light (UV) reactors to the disinfection system at the Water Treatment Plant. The UV reactors provide additional treatment to reduce or eliminate the potential for certain pathogens in drinking water not removed by disinfection other chemicals or methods.

The Board of Public Works is required to disinfect at least 95% of the water delivered to the public with the UV reactors operating within validating conditions for the required UV dose. Unfortunately, due to a short-term electrical failure, in October 2016 the UV system treated only 94% of the water delivered to the public instead of 95% as required by Missouri Department of Natural Resources regulations. Although this violation does not constitute an emergency, you have a right to know what happened and what the Board of Public Works did to correct this situation.

Fortunately, the Board of Public Works quickly repaired the UV system by restoring electrical energy to the system and installing an audible alarm capable of being heard from other buildings within the Water Treatment Plant. Since this UV system operated 94% of the time instead of the mandated 95%, it is unlikely that our customers experienced any adverse health effects. You do not need to boil your water or take any other corrective actions. Nonetheless, inadequately treated water may contain disease-causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites which can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches.

This is not an emergency. If it had been, you would have been notified within 24 hours. There is nothing you need to do unless you have a severely compromised immune system, have an infant, or are elderly. These people may be at increased risk and should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1 (800) 426-4791. If you have specific health concerns, consult your doctor.

This notice is being sent to you by Hannibal Board of Public Works, State Water System ID#: M02010344. For more information, please contact:

Robert Stevenson

3 Industrial Loop Drive

P.O. Box 1589

Hannibal, MO 63401-1589

(573) 221-8050

www.hannibalbpw.org

You may also contact the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Northeast Regional Office at 660-385-8000 or Public Drinking Water Branch at (573) 526-6925.

Feel free to share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.

Sincerely,

Robert W. Stevenson, P.E.

General Manager

*To download a PDF version of this notice, please click HERE.