A letter being mailed to Munster water customers lets them know there’s nothing wrong with the water in town.
The letter is a sort of punishment for the town not having filed a quarterly water quality report with state and federal environmental agencies, officials said.
The letter states the water quality test was not conducted in the first quarter of 2016 “due to turnover in personnel in the Public Works Department.” Water quality tests before and after that period showed levels well above compliance, Town Manager Dustin Anderson said.
Munster was required to mail the notice to all residences or face fines from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, with whom the water quality reports are filed.
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Anderson said IDEM notified the town of the missing report in June 2016, and that it cost $650 to mail the letter to 8,500 homes.
Councilman John Reed said town officials thought it best to get out in front of the issue before the letters were sent.
“It was an oversight and a huge disappointment to the town manager,” he said. “There is no excuse. It was flat out missed.”
Reed said unnamed employees would face reprimands over the matter but no one would be terminated. He said he’s unaware of any calls from residents to town hall expressing concerns over water quality or the omission of a testing period.
Residents with questions can contact the Munster Water Department at 219-836-6971.
Jim Masters is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.