Nitrate pollution has forced a central Kansas town to shut off two wells that make up nearly one-quarter of its total permissible water supply. The state of Kansas will help Pratt afford the cost of drilling a new well in a different location with cleaner groundwater. But ultimately this town of 6,500 people, like so many others in the middle of the country, will need to find a way to cover the steep price tag of removing an increasingly widespread contaminant from its drinking water. “The reality is that we have to supply quality, healthy drinking water to our citizens,” city manager Regina Goff said, “and adhere to all the regulatory limits.” Nitrate reaches waterways and groundwater from sources like feedlots, farm fertilizers and leaky septic tanks.
Source: KCUR News
