Nearly one hundred people gathered at Huntley Project High School on the 26thfor an explanation of the state of the water troubles in the Worden area by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the Worden Ballantine Yellowstone County Water District (WBYC). The troubles began a few months ago when the water from Worden’s infiltration field tested above the danger threshold for nitrate levels, prompting WBYC to issue a Water Health Advisory letting people know that to be safe they should be using bottled water, especially if they have children under the age of six months as their bodies are unable to process nitrates as effectively as adults. This can lead to what is commonly known as “blue baby syndrome” where nitrates are converted to nitrites and restrict the transfer of oxygen to their bodies causing illness and possible death. Nitrates cannot be removed through standard filtration and boiling the water actually results in higher concentrations as the nitrates remain when the water evaporates. Officials are now saying this could become a 4-5 year process where Worden and Ballantine will not have access to clean drinking water. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
