On June 1, tests conducted by the Hanover Water Department found that iron levels in the Fletcher Reservoir are higher than normal, but still within the safe limit for drinking water, water treatment supervisor Dylan McDermott wrote in an email statement to The Dartmouth. The reservoir, which supplies water for the town and the College, had iron levels of 0.16 milligram-per-liter.
“I would expect to see half that right now,” McDermott wrote.
In the past week, students have complained about metallic-tasting tap water. After receiving a complaint from the Bernice A. Ray School about the taste of the water last week, McDermott tested the water at five sites for a number of pollutants. The only abnormal result was the reservoir iron level. The iron-levels in the distribution system — where the Hanover Water Department treats drinking water — are 0.02 to 0.04 milligram-per-liter, which he wrote are “more normal.”
He wrote that runoff from rain storms could be causing higher iron levels.
“Iron and manganese are naturally occurring in the environment,” he wrote. “It is most likely getting into the reservoirs through runoff from the surrounding areas. We have had multiple one inch or more rain events in the past month.”
The Environmental Protection Agency recommends that iron levels in drinking water do not exceed 0.3 milligram-per-liter. Iron in drinking water is not harmful, although it may affect the water’s taste or smell, according to the Vermont Department of Health.
“I suspect the metallic taste may be a result of the higher number in the reservoir making its way into people’s homes, or perhaps the iron taste is enhanced by the chlorine residual in the pipes,” McDermott wrote.
McDermott wrote that the department will continue to monitor the water’s iron levels.
“Our plan right now is to monitor for another couple weeks and see if the taste continues and see if there is a change in the reservoir or if our treatment has an effect on it,” McDermott wrote.
Iris WeaverBell ’28 is a reporter and editor. She is from Portland, Ore., and is majoring in economics and minoring in public policy.
