If you live in Bethel, you may have noticed a letter in your P.O. box from the city last month. It was about a contaminant recently found in the city’s piped water.
The contaminant is called Haloacetic Acid 5, or HAA 5. All disinfected water contains trace amounts of HAA 5 as a byproduct of the treatment process. But, according to the National Institutes of Health, it can cause cancer when it’s consumed at a certain threshold over a period of many years.
During the last three months of 2021, the contaminant was over the amount of what’s considered safe. But Bethel City Manager Pete Williams said that there’s no cause for concern, saying that just a few months over the safety limit won’t affect you. He said that the city has remedied the situation since the letter went out, and it will continue to monitor the water over the next year. Once it’s been under the specified safety level for a year, the community will be considered in the clear.
