Maine CDC says town’s water OK to drink after sludge spill

The town of Lisbon can lift the do-not-drinking order on its public drinking water after, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday.

The order was put in place Thursday after the Lisbon Water Department released sludge into the town’s public drinking water system.

Lisbon Water Department’s interim general manager, Shellie Reynolds, said filters had failed and allowed too much sludge into the drinking water, resulting in a possible high level of arsenic, CBS 13 reported .

Testing by A&L Laboratories of Auburn at five locations in Lisbon found levels “well below” the Environmental Protection Agency’s threshold for arsenic, indicating the water is “safe to consume,” the CDC said.

The EPA requires that arsenic remain under 10 parts per billion. Tests of the water in Lisbon found 1-3 parts per billion.

The CDC’s Drinking Water Program is also testing the sludge directly for arsenic to estimate the level of exposure during the release. The CDC anticipates having those results around Sept. 5.

The CDC directed questions about the release of the sludge into the public drinking water to the Lisbon Water Department.