September 2004. It is the largest yielding vertical well ever drilled in the state of Iowa and will provide up to 6.6 million gallons of water per day for the city of Marshalltown.

BOTTLED WATER VERSUS MARSHALLTOWN WATER

      Who would have thought twenty years ago that Americans today would be buying bottled water just like a can of soda pop?  In fact, the bottled water industry is an $8.3 billion a year business and the demand for bottled water increases 7% to 10% a year.  Why buy bottled water? Convenience is a big factor. No doubt the availability of bottled water at every convenience store or gas station makes it very easy to buy.  What is the cost for convenience? A quick survey of area convenience stores showed the average cost of bottled water was $1.41 per liter (prices varied from $.89 to $1.89). A liter is a little more than a quart.  For the same $1.41 you could fill a one liter bottle 3,024 times with Marshalltown city water at the current cost to residential customers.  Bottled water may be convenient but it is not cheap.  Americans buy on average 22.6 gallons of bottled water per year, and if we use the same $1.41 per liter then the average person could buy 68,347 gallons of Marshalltown water for the same cost.

     Another reason why consumers buy bottled water is the perception by some that it is safer than city water.  The bottled water industry works hard to project an image of pristine conditions using pictures of snow covered mountains or sparkling mountain streams. Their brand names evoke the image of an untarnished wilderness origin for their product. But is that a true picture of reality?  The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a group that researches and promotes environmental issues, examined the source of different brands of bottled water. In many cases the bottles are filled directly from a city water tap at the bottling plant. In other cases they have their own source of water separate from a city system. In one case they found that the water was obtained from a well in a parking lot located next to a hazardous waste dumpsite.

     What about the quality?  Public Water Systems (PWS) like the Marshalltown Water Works are closely monitored and regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency’s rules and regulations concerning quality and safety. Bottled water is not as closely regulated as a PWS. The NRDC study found contamination in popular brands including bacteria, nitrates, arsenic, other inorganic contaminants, and synthetic organic compounds. In some cases the contaminants were greater than the level considered safe in water for human consumption by the EPA.  No doubt many bottled brands are safe but possibly some are not.  It should be reassuring to know that your City water is consistently safe and of a high quality.  It is tested and evaluated hourly every day of every year to assure you of its excellent quality and safety.

     The quantity of bottled water sold in Marshalltown has very little impact on the demand for water from the Marshalltown Water Works.  After all, Marshalltown Water Works produces an annual average of 5.3 million gallons a day.  A few hundred bottles of water will not greatly impact water demand in the City.  Marshalltown water is a healthy, inexpensive, and safe way of quenching your thirst.  ENJOY.

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     The Marshalltown Water Works obtains a portion of its water from the Mississippian aquifer. The aquifer was determined to be not susceptible to contamination because the characteristics of the aquifer and overlying material prevent easy access of contaminants to the aquifer.  The Mississippian wells will not be susceptible to most contaminant sources except through pathways to the aquifer such as abandoned or poorly maintained wells.  A detailed evaluation of your source water was completed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and is available from the Marshalltown Water Works at (641) 753-7913.

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You will see that the contaminants detected in your drinking water are very minute compared to the standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Guidelines for Drinking Water.

The source of your water is ten deep wells located on the north side of the Iowa River drawing water from the Mississippian Aquifer.  The water is pumped to the treatment plant where it first goes through aeration to remove iron, radon, and hydrogen sulfide. It then travels to the softening basin for removal of the excess hardness and the remaining iron.  The water then is pH adjusted and flows to the filters where it passes through the sand filters to remove the remaining very small particles.  Chlorine is added as a disinfectant and fluoride is added to prevent tooth decay before being stored in the underground clear well.  The water is pumped from the clear well to the distribution system for public use.