CRESWELL, Ore. - Creswell residents received a letter from the city saying the water system has levels of arsenic above the Environmental Protection Agency's drinking water standards.

The letter said this is not an emergency. City leaders said the arsenic has always existed but became a problem because the EPA changed its standards. The arsenic is found in backup wells used during the winter months.

Creswell is working to install a new treatment plant by next year.

KVAL News tested tap water samples. The city only routinely tests water at the source, but It turns out the city also brought several tap water samples to the lab Monday for testing.

Armed with new water test results, acting Mayor Tim Demanett said May 6 that the city is doing all it can to fix the problem.

"We have an arsenic problem," he said. "There's no doubt about that and we are currently in excess of the federal mandate of 10 parts per billion. We're working towards that."

Demanett said the current water plant only treats water pulled from the Willamette River, not the water wells that have the arsenic.   The new plant they'll build will treat both river water and the contaminated wells.  

The city has until the end of 2009 to meet the guideline.

"For the last six years we've been trying to get a new treatment plant here built on the site we are currently at.  When that is completed in late summer 2009, we will be in compliance with EPA standards," said Demanett.

Acting City Administrator Jamon Kent said final permits to build the treatment plant should be approved by the end of the week.

They hope to break ground in 45 days.

Demanett says new tap water tests at six locations in Creswell, including two schools, showed no detectable arsenic levels.