Carbondale Alerts
Information About Your Drinking Water
CARBONDALE -
To our residents-
Our water system recently violated a drinking water standard. Although this was not an emergency, as our customers, you have a right to know what happened, what you should do, and what we are doing to correct this situation. Surface water systems (or groundwater under the direct influence of surface water systems) must ensure proper disinfection. Water in the treatment plant must be in contact with enough chlorine or a similar disinfectant for a minimum amount of time. Our supply was unable to meet this requirement during the Week 1 of December 2025 monitoring period.
What should I do?
You do not need to boil your water or take other actions. We do not know of any contamination, and none of our testing has shown disease-causing organisms in the drinking water.
What does this mean?
This situation does not require that you take immediate action. If it had been, you would have been notified immediately. Tests taken during this same time period did not indicate the presence of bacteria in the water.
Inadequately treated water may contain disease-causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites, which can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches.
These symptoms, however, are not caused only by organisms in drinking water, but also by other factors. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice.
What happened? What is being done?
The City of Carbondale tests routinely for virus inactivation in the treatment process. A chlorine value was mistakenly reported that was not representative of actual disinfection levels. By the time the City became aware of the violation, it was too late to correct the value to a more accurate level. The actual chlorine level was within compliance; the reported chlorine level was not.
Customers do not need to take any action. The water is safe for normal use and has been at all times. This is a required public notification.
Disinfectant residual level/contact times so far this month have met all the requirements. For more information, please contact Clayton Greer, Water Treatment Plant Superintendent at (618) 529-1731 option 2.
For media requests, contact Public Relations officer, Eva Fisher, at 618-713-0711 or via email at efisher@carbondaleil.gov.
“Carbondale prides itself on providing its visitors, students, businesses and residents with a unique mix of edge and ease. It’s a cultural town, yet free of pretense, embracing the great outdoors as readily as urban sophistication. Here, we are open to new ideas, experiences and cultures, so you are encouraged to both express yourself and be yourself, in all ways. That’s Carbondale…All Ways Open…for family, fun, business, new ideas and a bright tomorrow.”
# # #