State says drinking water is safe in Daybreak; more testing to come
Oct 22, 2019, 2:14 PM | Updated: 2:22 pm
Sunset view at Oquirrh Lake in Daybreak, South Jordan. Photo: Getty Images
SOUTH JORDAN, Utah — The city of South Jordan ordered more testing of the drinking water around the Daybreak neighborhood, a day after residents complained about chemicals found in home test kits.
According to KSL TV, some residents developed rashes. The home kits were positive for chromium-6, the same chemical that made people sick in the “Erin Brockovich” movie, which was based on real life.
Some Daybreak residents say their home test kits were positive for chromium-6 in their drinking water, but the city of South Jordan’s own testing came back negative. Photo: Sam Zani
The state division of drinking water is working with the city to conduct tests, but director Marie Owens says, so far, it is safe.
“We have not found any indication that there is an upset of the drinking water, treatment or delivery to the residents of Daybreak,” Owens said. “I have not found that there’s a problem with the water, so at this point, I would say it is fine for them to continue to drink the water and use the water, and we will continue to look into it.”
Owens points out mineral content and even “hard” water does not cause rashes. She also said home test kits are not known for reliability.
“If we see anything that is a concern, we will be very transparent and we will communicate that to those residents,” she said.
The residents complaining about rashes say they first noticed them a couple of weeks ago, when the weather turned cooler.
Daybreak, like the rest of South Jordan, is served by the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District. The district includes Bluffdale, Draper, Herriman, Kearns, Magna, Riverton, South Salt Lake, West Jordan and Taylorsville, among other cities. No other cities in the district reported water problems.
