Water Quality Topics

Seasonal Changes of Missouri River: The Missouri River’s water quality is affected by spring rains, fall leaves, temperature changes, melting snow, upstream reservoir releases, and river levels. KC Water adjusts the water treatment process to address these natural taste, odor, and color variations, but changes in treatment might not be immediately noticeable to all customers. A drop of water can take up to 5 days to reach outlying areas. Seasonal changes or operations by the Army Corp of Engineers can cause the river to become muddy with silt and organic matter, resulting in earthy, musty odors and a greenish tint in drinking water. These natural changes, which do not pose health risks, vary based on individual senses and can last from a few days to weeks.

Lead & Copper: Lead can be a significant risk to pregnant women and children under six years old. Infants and young children are most susceptible to the risks of lead exposure. Because they are growing, children’s bodies absorb more lead than adults do, and their brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to its damaging effects. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has found that there are no safe levels of lead in children. Also, it can also pose a cardiovascular risk to older adults. (Source: EPA, Lead and Copper Rules Revisions)

PFAS: Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid (PFOS), also known as PFAS or “Forever Chemicals,” are chemicals that people are talking a lot about because they can impact water, animals, humans, and plants. These chemicals are used in many everyday products and don’t break down in the environment, so they can get into our water and build up in animals.
In August 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that PFOA and PFOS are hazardous substances. These chemicals were made in the 1940s by companies like 3M and Dupont because they repel water. Studies have shown that they can cause health problems, such as:
• Higher cholesterol levels
• Changes in liver enzymes
• Small decreases in birth weight
• Lower response to some vaccines
• High blood pressure during pregnancy
• Kidney and testicular cancer
To learn more about how PFAS affects people and water, the EPA added them to a special list for further monitoring. KC Water started testing for PFOA and PFOS in late 2023 and continued regular testing in 2024.
The EPA recommends that PFOA and PFOS in drinking water should not be more than 70 parts per trillion (ppt). The latest advice from the EPA says the safe levels are even lower: 0.004 ppt for PFOA and 0.02 ppt for PFOS.

Fluoride: Fluoride is a natural part of water that comes from the erosion of rocks, fertilizer runoff, and factory discharges. In 1980, voters in Kansas City, Missouri, decided to add fluoride to the water to help keep teeth strong. The amount of fluoride in the water meets the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommended level and follows all federal and state rules.

Hard Water: The average hardness of KC Water is 100 mg/L (5-6 grains/gallon). Water is classified as soft if it has 0-60 mg/L, moderately hard at 61-120 mg/L, and hard at 121-180 mg/L. The hardness is caused by the presence of calcium and magnesium in the water, which do not cause any health problems. However, hardness can result in water spots on dishes, stainless steel sinks, and faucets. Hardness can be removed with a water softener, but many water softeners replace calcium and magnesium with sodium. Drinking softened water may lead to increased sodium intake, which can be a health issue for some people.

Cross Connection: A cross-connection is where substances other than potable drinking water may enter the water pipes and come in contact and contaminate your drinking water.
This can occur due to backflow, which is when water flows in the opposite direction from what is intended, potentially bringing contaminants from private plumbing in your home/business or into the main water system.

Backflow (or back-pressure) occurs when the pressure at the point of use becomes higher than the water supply pressure from the city’s water system.
List of potential commercial/residential hazards:
• Irrigation systems
• Coffee brewers
• Fire sprinkler systems
• Boilers
• Ice machines
• Mop sinks
• Shampoo sinks
• Carbonators