Columbus water report shows no violations

The Columbus City Utilities annual water quality report was released yesterday, showing no violations of regulated contaminants, unregulated contaminants or other materials.

The report covers 2023 and according to the city-owned water utility, it met or exceeded all drinking water quality standards set out by the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. The 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act requires that every public water systems prepare a water quality report which provides information on where water comes from and how it compares to current standards.

According to the utility, links to an online version of the report will be sent out with the June bills and available through electronic bills. There will also be copies distributed to apartment complexes, various public places and locations with multiple water accounts.

You can also request a physical copy by calling the utility office at 812-372-8861.

Columbus City Utilities also announced today that it has received a $200,000 grant from the Indiana Finance Authority to improve its inventory of service lines.

The grant will be used to identify the materials of water service lines using a modeling method, and allowing for testing of various areas to make sure the model is correct. According to the utility, all water service systems in the country must have an inventory of the material of every service line by the end of October of this year. That includes utility owned lines and customers’ lines.

The city says that an initial inventory was completed in part using a $55,000 grant, but existing records are incomplete and there are a significant number of unknown pipe materials.

For more information about Columbus City Utilities, visit columbusutilities.org.