|
|
Bottled Water Additive Impairing Plant's UV
BIG RAPIDS, MI – A food preservative found in wastewater discharged from the Ice Mountain water bottling facility in Stanwood, MI, is interfering with an ultraviolet (UV) disinfection system at the municipal wastewater treatment plant in Big Rapids, according to a December 28 Associated Press report in the South Bend Tribune.
Potassium sorbate, a common food preservative, is causing the UV light used in disinfection to bounce back toward the lamps, limiting the system's ability to kill bacteria before the wastewater is discharged, Don Greiner, Big Rapids city engineer, said in the report.
The preservative is an ingredient in the Splash line of flavored waters bottled at the Ice Mountain facility, which is operated by Nestlé Waters North America, the story noted.
The problem was discovered in October, after wastewater treated at the Big Rapids plant exceeded the limit for fecal coliform bacteria released into the Muskegon River, and the bottler has since been working with Big Rapids officials to find a solution, Deb Muchmore, a spokesperson for Ice Mountain, said in the article.
|
