Contaminated water is just a part of life in the south-central Kansas farm town of Pretty Prairie. The city of about 650 in southern Reno County has had a problem with nitrates in its public water supply for more than 20 years. It’s impossible to point to the exact source of the contamination of the aquifer that feeds the city’s main wells. Nitrates are used in fertilizers applied to cropland and lawns. The town’s agricultural roots are hard to miss, with grain elevators located next to the high school and agricultural equipment and related businesses scattered throughout the city. The EPA’s maximum limit on nitrates in drinking water is 10 parts per million. Tests on Pretty Prairie’s water have found that it contains 20 parts per million. – See more at: www.khi.org
Source: KHI
