Sodium is an element that is naturally occurring and is essential for life.  Sodium is naturally present in our reservoirs, and in some of our reservoirs it is at a higher level than others, possibly due to stormwater runoff from the roads.  At various times, ranging from the spring to the fall, it is advantageous to blend water from one of our reservoirs into our main reservoir to improve certain aspects of the water quality.  Unfortunately, that reservoir is one of the ones which has a higher sodium content from road salting, and this will sometimes cause our tap water to have sodium in excess of the 28 mg/L notification level (our maximum level this summer is 30 mg/L).  As required, we publish a notice in our billing statements to let our customers know this.

For most of our customers, this will not be an issue, but for customers who have been put on a very restrictive diet (less than 500 mg of sodium per day) this may be something they will want to discuss with their doctor.  To put things in perspective, 30 mg/L of sodium is equal to 7 mg of sodium in an 8 ounce glass of water; in comparison, an 8 ounce glass of 1 % milk contains 104 mg of sodium.  So if you have any concerns about sodium in drinking water please consult your physician, but for most people on a normal (i.e., non-sodium restricted) diet, Groton Utilities water would not be of concern.