What’s in the water: Alliance Water Resources continues to examine changes in Cape’s source water

As Alliance Water Resources examines Cape Girardeau’s source water from its wells, four characteristics stick out to the company — the levels of iron and arsenic, the ionic charge of the water and an unknown component eating away at the chlorine.

Alliance Water Resources local manager Jon Ridings said after past studies on the city's water they still haven’t been able to determine what this “unknown” component is.

“Something is really dissipating all the chlorine. We had the source water study done by Donohue Engineering(, LLC),” Ridings said. “DNR (Department of Natural Resources) and even the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) I believe is looking into our aquifer as well.”

He said the study didn't identify what was eating away at the chlorine, but officials have determined the best way to treat it, with the newly bought high-density lime system approved by the City Council.

Both iron and arsenic levels have gone up in the city's source water as well. Ridings said they get rid of all the arsenic through the treatment process.

He said they also treat for iron with the limit on it being zero point “three parts per million.” Ridings said while higher iron levels wouldn’t necessarily hurt anyone, the water “just doesn’t taste good."

"It’s definitely not what you want to pay for,” he said.

Tthe ionic charge of the water itself has changed, and they have had to use different polymers to treat it.

Emergency measures

Ridings said while they don’t plan on having to use the Mississippi River to bring in water instead of the wells, on Wednesday, May 22, when they had to replace a broken pump motor on the main well they draw from, they did have workers make sure they could get water from the river if needed in case of an emergency.

Ridings said he doesn’t expect needing to use river water unless something were to happen to the main line transferring water to the plant. Ridings also said the City doesn't have the permit to take from the river.

Ridings also said the City uses the Ramsey Branch water treatment plant as well. He said use of the plant was more for emergencies but for the last couple of years has become “kind of normal operations".