Symptoms of this illness include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever and headache. For individuals with health immune systems, the symptoms usually disappear within a few weeks. However, for those individuals with weakened immune systems, the illness can become serious and life threatening. The water treatment process used at the City of Abilene facilities provides multiple barriers for removal of Cryptosporidum and Giardia, including disinfection, filtration, reverse osmosis filtration, and rapid sand filtration to ensure there is no Cryptosporidium. The City of Abilene Treatment Facility strictly follows these treatment guidelines.
Nitrates are from decaying plant matter and animal waste.
Nitrates in drinking water at levels above 10 ppm is a health risk for infants of less than six months of age. High nitrate levels in drinking water can cause blue baby syndrome. Nitrate levels may rise quickly for short periods of time because of rainfall or agricultural activity. The City of Abilene was under a consent order for high nitrate levels, but since January of 1999 the order has been removed and nitrates are within KDHE regulations. The Public works Department collects samples from both the Water Treatment Facilities and the City's water distribution system.