EDINBURGH — Some Edinburgh water customers reported seeing less discoloration after the town began a new water treatment regimen Monday.
The water is being treated with sodium permanganate, a chemical meant to reduce the presence of iron and manganese in the water supply.
The initial cost to begin the treatment was $6,000, said Scott Finley, the town’s clerk-treasurer. The town will spend about $11 a day on the treatment, if it uses one gallon a day, according to an estimate provided by Water Solutions Unlimited.
Water tests revealed that both iron and manganese are abnormally high in Edinburgh’s water. Given their characteristics, the chemicals are what is causing the discoloration, floating debris and metallic smell that many residents have experienced in their water.
They are naturally present in the town’s groundwater, but the aging water plant can no longer filter them out, said JT Doane, town manager.
The town council approved the use of the treatment Aug. 24, and the town received approval from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to move forward with it Aug. 28.
For more on this story, see Sunday’s Republic.
