2008 CONSUMER CONFIDENCE REPORT

PWSID#: 5223001 ATTICA WATER UTILITY

 

Important information for the Spanish-speaking population

Este informe contiene informacion muy importante sobre la calidad del agua potable que usted consume.  Por favor traduzcalo, o hable con alguien que lo entienda bien y pueda explicarle.

Is our water safe?  This brochure is a snapshot of the quality of water that we provided last year.  Included are details about where your water comes from, what it contains, and how it compares to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) standards.  We are committed to providing you with information because informed customers are our best allies.  For more information about your water, please call: RON JEAN Phone Number: (765) 762-2555 Board Meetings are held on 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the Month at 4:30PM.  

 

Where does our water come from?  Your water comes from 2 deep wells.  Wells#1 and #2 are located north of Paul Dresser Bridge.  Well #1 was installed in 1954 and runs at 1163 gallons per minute.  Well #2 was installed in 1947 and runs at 1325+ gallons per minute.  Your city council meeting is on the second Monday of each month.

 

Do I need to take special precautions? 

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. 

Immune-compromised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have

undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from infections.  These people should seek advice about drinking water from their Health

Care providers.  EPA has set guidelines with appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants which are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

 

Why are there contaminants in my drinking water?  Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants.  The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk or that it is not suitable for drinking.  More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs,

springs, and wells.  As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves

naturally-occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from

the presence of animals or from human activity.

Contaminants that may be present in source water before we treat it include:

·     Microbial Contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations and wildlife.

·     Inorganic Contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or result from urban storm water runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining or farming operations.

·     Pesticides and Herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources, such as agriculture, storm water runoff and residential uses.

·     Radioactive Contaminants, which can be naturally-occurring or the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.

·      Organic Chemical Contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production and operations, and can also result from gas stations, urban storm water runoff, and septic systems.

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the EPA prescribes regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants that may be present in the water provided by public drinking water systems.  We are required to treat our water according to EPA’s regulations.  Moreover, FDA regulations establish limits for contaminants that may be present in bottled water, which must provide the same level of health protection for public health.

WATER QUALITY DATA

 

The table below lists all the drinking water contaminants that we detected during the 2007 calendar year.  The

presence of these contaminants in the water does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk. 

Unless otherwise noted, the data presented in this table is from testing done January 1st-December 31, 2007. 

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) requires us to monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants are not expected to vary significantly from year to year.  Some of the data, though representative of the water quality, may however be more than one year old.

Terms and abbreviations used in this report are:

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG):

the level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. 

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL):

the highest level of a disinfectant that is allowed in drinking water. 

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG):

the level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. 

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL):

the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. 

Action Level (AL):

the concentration of a contaminant which, when exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements or action which a system must follow.

Treatment Technique (TT):

A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

n/a:  not applicable or not available

ND: not detected, the result was not detected at or above the analytical method detection level

ppb:  parts per billion, a measure for concentration equivalent to micrograms per liter

ppm:  parts per million, a measure for concentration equivalent to milligrams per liter

pCi/L:  picocuries per liter,  a measure of radiation

NTU: Nephelometric Turbidity Unit, a measure of the clarity (or cloudiness) of water.

P*: Potential violation, one that is likely to occur in the near future once the system have sampled for 4 quarters.

Section I - Contaminants Detected

 

Inorganic Contaminants

 

DATE

CONTAMINANT

MCL

MCLG

Units

Result

Min

Max

AboveAL

Violates

Likely Sources

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#Repeats

 

 

 

3/3/2005

Barium

2

2

mg/l

0.0735

0.068

0.079

 

No

      Discharge of drilling wastes;

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Discharge from metal refineries; 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         Erosion of natural deposits

 

3/3/2005

Chromium

100

100

ug/l

2.9

ND

5.8

 

No

  Discharge from steel and pulp mills;

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         erosion of natural deposits

 

Valid Until

Copper (90th

1.3

1.3

mg/l

0.22

 

 

 

No

Erosion of natural deposits; Leaching

 

12/31/2007

Percentile)

(AL) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From wood preservatives; Corrosion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    of household plumbing systems.

 

3/3/2005

Fluoride

4

4

mg/l

0.175

0.15

0.2

 

No

Erosion of natural deposits;H2O

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additive for strong teeth; Discharge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

from fertilizer & aluminum factories

 

Valid until

Lead (90th

15

0

ug/l

7.8

 

 

 

No

  Corrosion of household plumbing

 

12/31/2007

Percentile)

(AL)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Systems Erosion of natural deposits

 

3/12/2007

Nitrate (as N)

10

10

mg/l

.55

.4

.7

 

No

Runoff from fertilizer use; Leaching

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

       From septic tanks, sewage;

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

       Erosion of Natural deposits

 

Disinfection Byproducts & Precursors

 

DATE

CONTAMINANT

MCL

MCLG

Units

Result

Min

Max

AboveAL

Violates

Likely Sources

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#Repeats

 

 

 

2007

Total Haloacetic Acids

60

 

ug/l