09/28/2026
THE FACTS ABOUT McCOOK’S DRINKING WATER
Don’t let social media rumors make you question the water you drink every day.
There has been a tremendous amount of information—and misinformation—circulating on social media about drinking water.
Some of it comes from people with no connection to McCook, no knowledge of our water system, no access to our testing records and no responsibility for providing water to our community.
A social media post, video or “water expert” with hundreds of followers does not know more about McCook’s water than the people who operate, test, monitor and maintain this system every day.
Here’s what we know.
McCook’s drinking water is part of a regulated public water system. Water quality is not determined by someone’s opinion on Facebook, TikTok, YouTube or any other social media platform.
It is determined through actual sampling, laboratory analysis, treatment requirements, monitoring and regulatory standards.
Nebraska requires drinking-water compliance testing to be performed by certified laboratories, and the state maintains a public database where citizens can review public water-system sampling information (Nebraska Department of Water Environment & Energy)
Our water system is actively managed.
McCook’s Utilities Department operates and maintains:
• 9 municipal water wells
• A water treatment plant
• Two 1-million-gallon elevated storage tanks
• A 4-million-gallon ground storage tank
• Approximately 55 miles of water mains
• More than 300 fire hydrants
• More than 1,300 valves
Our State of Nebraska Licensed water operators/employees work every day to operate, maintain and improve this system.
So when you see a claim online, ask a simple question:
Where is the actual test result?
Not a video.
Not a meme.
Not someone’s personal opinion.
Not a claim from a social media personality who has never operated McCook’s water system.
Show us the laboratory results. Show us the source. Show us the data.
That is how water quality should be evaluated.
And if you have a legitimate question about McCook’s water, we want you to ask us.
We will not tell you to simply “trust us.”
We will give you the facts and explain what we know.
Your water. Your questions. Our responsibility.
The City of McCook has a responsibility to provide reliable drinking water and to communicate honestly with the people we serve.
If you hear something about McCook’s water that concerns you, contact the Utilities Department before accepting something you saw on social media as fact.
đź“ž City of McCook Utilities Department: 308-345-2022
We are here to answer your questions.
McCook’s water isn’t something we take lightly.�It’s our job. It’s our responsibility. And we take that responsibility seriously.
