On Friday, the City of Kotzebue issued a health advisory for manganese levels in the community’s drinking water. The advisory said manganese exceeded levels set by the Environmental Protection Agency for infants under 6 months old, over a three day period last week. The city recommended not giving tap water to infants or mixing water with baby formula and to consult a doctor about individual health concerns.
The city could not immediately be reached for this story. But according to its statement, the treatment plant is not “reliably and consistently” removing enough manganese — and it would likely take four months to resolve the issue.
The city issued similar warnings about high manganese levels in 2023, and last May, Kotzebue’s manganese levels were the highest on record. Although manganese is important to humans in trace amounts, the EPA says high levels can have lasting health effects.
Last month, the city issued an alert that said Kotzebue’s drinking water had exceeded the maximum levels for disinfectant byproducts over the last year. Exposure to these chemicals over several years has been linked to liver, kidney and nervous system problems, as well as an increased risk of cancer. The city said it was working with a water chemist from consulting firm Tetra Tech and a lab in Fairbanks to find a solution.
Last year, the city council voted to waive residents' water bills during months when manganese levels exceeded EPA standards. The council also asked the city to look into purchasing household water filters, which are expected to arrive in mid-March. Buying bottled water, which is expensive at around $13 dollars a gallon at the local AC Store, is one of the only options for people concerned about high levels of manganese.
The city discourages residents from boiling water because it can concentrate manganese instead of removing it.
