Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Quality topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Mount Carmel officials say drinking water is safe after TOC compliance notice
Summary
City water staff told the council a July–September Total Organic Carbon (TOC) compliance notice reflected removal-rate metrics, not higher contaminant levels, and said disinfection byproducts were lower in 2025 than 2024; staff continue monitoring and sent January samples to the IEPA.
Mount Carmel city staff told the council that a Total Organic Carbon (TOC) compliance notice covering July through September 2025 related to removal rates, not the amount of TOC in the water, and that the city’s drinking water remains safe.
The mayor (unnamed) introduced the item and an unnamed water/public works employee explained that TOC itself “has no health effects” and that the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) tests TOC removal rates because TOC can contribute to formation of disinfection byproducts (DBPs). The staff member said, “Mount Carmel drinking water is still perfectly safe to drink” and that DBP levels in 2025 were lower than in 2024 despite a slightly lower average removal rate in 2025 compared with 2024.
Why it matters: DBPs can form when disinfectants react with organic matter in source water; regulators track removal performance as an indicator of whether treatment processes are adequately preventing DBP formation. The city’s presenter emphasized that the new Mount Carmel Water Treatment Plant is producing better-quality water than previous operations and that residents are not facing an immediate health risk from the TOC notice.
Details and response: The speaker said the IEPA’s notice describes inadequate DBP precursor removal rather than elevated TOC concentrations in finished water. Staff explained they conduct monthly TOC sampling sent to the IEPA and that they also test DBPs; for December the removal rates looked ‘‘pretty good,’’ and January TOC samples were submitted the day of the meeting. Staff said they have made slight adjustments to chemical dosages to try to improve removal but cautioned that dosage changes are complex and must be made carefully to avoid over- or under-dosing.
Council members asked whether the city could see more frequent changes than the quarterly report; an unidentified commissioner asked if rates can be checked within the month rather than waiting for the quarterly summary. The water staff replied that monthly data are available and that they will continue to monitor closely.
What’s next: Staff said they will continue monthly sampling and monitoring and will report further results to the council. No regulatory enforcement actions were described in the transcript during the meeting.
At the meeting the water presentation and clarifications came from a public works/water staff member who identified treatment and monitoring steps; David James of Mount Carmel Public Utility was referenced earlier as the person who offered a truck for purchase but was not explicitly identified as the presenter in the transcript.
