Kerr Lake located in the Roanoke River Basin in northeastern North Carolina.

• EPA:  http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/sdwa/lcr/lcrmr index.cfm
• State:  http://www.deh.enr.state.nc.us/pws/rules/SECTION 1500.pdf

If your water is brownish or rusty in color, the cause is likely iron.  Iron in drinking water is not a health risk but can cause discoloration and is often the result of aging pipes made of iron.  Kerr Lake Regional Water’s distribution system has many pipes made of iron that are known to have fragile iron scales.  During water main breaks or construction, interruption of normal water flow and disturbance of pipe walls may release the iron scale and cause discoloration.

Discoloration from iron is usually temporary and should disappear after water is flushed from the distribution systm or your home plumbing.  Kerr Lake Regional Water recommends not drinking tap water if it is discolored.  In addition, do not wash clothes when water appears rusty, because the rust can stain fabric.  Flushing your cold water tap for 15 minutes should clear up discolored water.  If the color does not disappear after 15 minutes of flushing, contact Henderson Public Services at 252-431-6030.

Henderson Public Services regularly flushes fire hydrants throughout the City of Henderson to clean the mains in the streets and remove scale build-up in pipes.  When crews flush hydrants and remove this material from the hydrant and several miles of pipe, it comes out of a hydrant all at once, and the water may inititally look discolored.  If you watch our workers flush, you will notice that the water clears up rather quickly.

Milky or cloudy water is often caused by air that enters pipes and escapes in the form of oxygen bubbles when water leaves your tap.  Cloudiness and air bubbles do not present a health risk.  During colder months, water in outside pipes is colder and holds more oxygen than your household pipes.  Consequently, when the cold water enters your building and begins to warm, the oxygen bubbles escape and cause the water to look milky.  Construction in the distribution system can also allow air to enter the pipes and cause the appearance of cloudy water.

Cloudiness and air bubbles should naturally disappear in a few minutes.  You can test this by running the water into a clear container and observing for a few minutes.  If the water clears from the bottom to the top of the container, air bubbles are rising to the surface.  If the cloudiness does not disappear, contact the Kerr Lake Regional Water Plant at 252-438-2141.

The optimal level for fluoride is intended to prevent tooth decay and protect public health.  In January 2011, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a revised recommendation for the optimal level of fluoride in drinking water.  Based on new research, HHS recommends a fluoride level of 0.7 mg/L as optimal for ensuring public health protection.  In the past, HHS supported a fluoride level between 0.7 to 1.2 mg/L, as safe and effective in preventing tooth decay.  For more information on the HHS recommendation, please visit the HHS website.

At this time, the City of Henderson has no public drug take-back or collection programs, but there are alternatives to flushing those pharmaceuticals down the toilet or drain.  The Office of National Drug Control Policy recommends the following:

• Take your prescription drugs out of their original containers.
• Mix drugs with a substance undesired by children or animals, such as cat litter or used coffee grounds.
• Put the mixture into a disposable container with a lid, such as an empty margarine tub, or into a sealable bag.
• Conceal or remove any personal information, including Rx number, on the empty containers by covering it with a black permanent marker or duct tape, or by scratching it off.
• Place the sealed container with the mixture, and the empty drug containers, in the trash.