02/04/2007

Record-Eagle/Douglas Tesner
Phyllis Huff frequently tests her well water after finding high nitrate levels last year. Those nitrate levels dropped and she now drinks the water from the tap.

Nitrates still a problem for some

BY SHERI McWHIRTER

sherimcwhirter@hotmail.com

ELMIRA — Well water that runs from Phyllis Huff's tap is OK to drink now, although last year it was loaded with nitrate contaminants.

In October, state and local officials told the residents of a neighborhood in Otsego County's Elmira Township not to drink their water because of high nitrate levels known to cause health problems, especially with infants and children. Now, recent water tests show that potentially harmful nitrate levels are within acceptable limits at Huff's home on Camp Ten Road.

"I think it's washing out. I think it's heading into the Jordan River Valley and into Lake Michigan. It's going someplace because your groundwater moves,” Huff said. Local health and state agriculture officials said the likely cause of the nitrate contamination in the area is fertilizer used at nearby farms that historically grow potatoes, alfalfa and other crops.

"It's pretty obvious. They've grown potatoes, corn and beans in that area for 100 years and it builds up over time,” said Bill Lubs, environmental health supervisor for the Health Department of Northwest Michigan.

Lubs said not all of the water wells in the affected neighborhood are running clean, and some still have high nitrates.

"It probably isn't going to get better unless farming practices are altered,” Lubs said.

Irrigation systems in the area use groundwater to spread fertilizers and pesticides across the sandy soil to promote healthy crop growth. Robert Pigg, groundwater monitoring coordinator for the Michigan Department of Agriculture, said residents should still regularly sample their well water and officials will study the unusual fluctuating nitrate levels.

"We're going to continue to monitor the area, trying to get a better understanding of what that system is about,” Pigg said.

John LaBell lives across the street from Huff and said he expects his home's water contamination problems will continue.

"It's going to be getting worse when the snow melts and we get all that runoff from the fields,” he said. LaBell said he wants state officials to reduce the amount of nitrogen-based fertilizers allowed on rural fields in the area. Officials encourage local farmers to attend a Feb. 20 workshop in Elmira to learn how to reduce the risk of groundwater contamination.