Atrazine

WaterOne constantly monitors water quality for elements like Atrazine, a common herbicide used to control weeds in corn, sorghum, sugar cane, and some specialty crop fields. Atrazine has been associated with hormonal imbalances in laboratory animals, including potential short-term disruptions to reproduction and developmental processes. It seeps into water sources as runoff from farm fields.

The regulatory limit for Atrazine is 3 parts per billion (ppb), a standard that WaterOne has always met. To ensure its customers' safety, WaterOne spends over a quarter of a million dollars each year to remove Atrazine from its water. Water produced by WaterOne has been - and continues to be - safe to drink because of the utility's meticulous commitment to ensuring water quality.

In recent years, WaterOne joined other water utilities in a class action lawsuit against herbicide manufacturer Syngenta to represent our customers' interest in ensuring a safe, clean water supply on the Kansas and Missouri rivers. In 2013, Syngenta settled the lawsuit, paying out a sum intended to be a partial reimbursement for costs incurred by WaterOne and other public water providers for removing Atrazine from drinking water.

The best and most cost-effective way to keep our drinking water clean is to protect our source waters from contamination.

Public safety is our priority. If WaterOne detects this or any other harmful substance in the water supply, we are required by law to notify the public. To ensure we reach you with important information about water quality and your water service, sign-up for Notify JoCo.