High nitrate levels found in south suburban drinking water, infants at risk, officials warn

UNIVERSITY PARK, Ill. (WLS) — A warning has been issued for unhealthy drinking water in the south suburbs that is especially dangerous for infants.

Aqua Illinois said increased nitrate levels in the Kankakee River were caused by “recent rainfall combined with spring agricultural fertilization.”

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Testing done by Aqua Illinois found 11.9mg/L nitrate levels in University Park, Illinois drinking water, health officials said Sunday.

The federal drinking level standard nitrate level is 10mg/L.

The alert for unsafe drinking water is also affecting Kankakee and Peotone, officials said.

The U.S. EPA and Aqua Illinois issued the following warnings:

– Do NOT give tap water to infants under six months sold.

– Do NOT use tap water to mix infant formula.

– Boiling water will NOT reduce nitrate levels, in fact, it may make them worse.

Aqua Illinois shared the following statement with ABC7:

“Recent rainfall combined with spring agricultural fertilization resulted in an unprecedentedincrease of nitrate levels in the Kankakee River. Aqua Illinois’ priority is the health andsafety of our customers with infants. Our team acted quickly after being alerted of elevated levels inthe first sample, testing additional samples to verify the elevated nitrate levels. Onceverified through EPA-approved methods, Aqua Illinois moved swiftly to notify ourcustomers, local leaders, and health officials of the risk to infants under 6 months old. Wewill continue to provide updates and will alert our customers when they can resumenormal use of their drinking water. We appreciate our customers patience andunderstanding as we work diligently to address this issue.”