Winthrop public drinking water is safe to drink, officials say.
Residents supplied with the service recently received a written notice informing them that Winthrop Utilities District did not meet water testing requirements for the time period between April 1 and June 30. But the utility district had missed a test date due to a change in testing frequency — amounting to a clerical error, according to Superintendent Daniel Wells.
“The water is safe to drink,” Wells said. “There is no drinking water standard violation.”
The district had been testing water quality annually, but due to a minor increase of a contaminant, the Maine Drinking Water Program required the district to instead conduct tests quarterly.
The Drinking Water Program sets guidelines for public water quality, testing for contaminants following the filtration process.
In Winthrop’s case, there was an increase in trihalomethane in a sample, a disinfection byproduct created when chlorine and organic materials mix during the filtration process.
“It is well below the limit,” he said, “just not low enough for it to be tested annually.”
State regulations say that the level of trihalomethane cannot exceed 80 parts per billion. Winthrop’s most recent test was at 42 parts per billion, requiring quarterly testing. Annual testing is approved if levels stay below 40 parts per billion.
“It is good water that is safe at a reasonable price,” he said.
The utility district serves residents in Winthrop and Monmouth.
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