Town of Normal searching for new solutions to reduce ammonia in drinking water [Video]

PEORIA (25News Now) – Normal’s water department director John Burkhart said there is naturally occurring ammonia in the town’s 12 groundwater wells.

However, Burkhart said the current levels do not make consuming its drinking water unsafe.

The town is looking for ways to remove the gas from the wells, even though the EPA does not currently regulate ammonia levels in drinking water.

The problem at hand is sustaining the levels of chlorine used to treat it. Burkhart said the ammonia is consuming the chlorine, so the city has to flush out water that has lower than acceptable chlorine levels.

“[When] chlorine residuals get low, there is a chance that bacteria can form and grow, and somebody could be affected by that,” Burkhart said. “We don’t let the levels get that low, but that’s what we’re fighting.”

Burkhart said flushing the water comes at a cost to the city, which he did not …