HAYDEN PINES/GROUSE MEADOWS SERVICE AREA

NORTH KOOTENAI WATER DISTRICT

DRINKING WATER QUALITY REPORT

2007

We are pleased to provide you with this year's Annual Water Quality Report also known by the federal acronym CCR (Consumer Confidence Report). We want to keep you informed about the excellent water and services we have delivered to you over the past year. Our goal is, and always has been, to provide to you a safe and dependable supply of drinking water. The wells that serve your area draw water from the Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer.

Your drinking water is safe and meets federal and state requirements.

If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility, please contact Mike Galante, District Manager at (208) 772-3619. If you want to learn more, please attend any of our regularly scheduled Board meetings that are held at 12:30 PM on the first and third Thursday of each month at the District office: 1841 W. Hayden Avenue, Hayden, Idaho.

North Kootenai Water District monitors for contaminants in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws. The table below shows the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1 to December 31, 2007. As water travels over the land or underground it can pick up contaminants such as microbes, inorganic and organic chemicals, and radioactive substances. All drinking water, including bottled drinking water, may be reasonably expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. It's important to remember that the presence of these contaminants does not necessarily pose a health risk.

In the following table you will find some terms and abbreviations that you may not be familiar with. To help you better understand these terms we provide the following definitions:

Action Level - the concentration of a contaminant that, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.

GTE – GTE Well located behind the GTE yard north of Prairie Avenue.

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) - The “Maximum Allowed” is the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) - The “Goal” is the level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.

MHP – Mobile Home Park Well located in the Hayden Pines Mobile Home Park at the west end of Hayden Pines Way.

Non-Detects (ND) - laboratory analysis indicates that the constituent is not present.

Parts per million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter (mg/l) - one part per million corresponds to one minute in two years or a single penny in $10,000.

Parts per billion (ppb) or Micrograms per liter - one part per billion corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000.

Picocuries per liter (pCi/L) - picocuries per liter is a measure of the radioactivity in water.

Variances & Exemptions (V&E) - State or EPA permission not to meet a MCL or a treatment technique under certain conditions.

Inorganic Contaminants

MCL

MCLG

Our Water

Range of Detection

Sample Date

Violation?

Typical Source of Contaminant

Arsenic

10 PPB

MHP--ND

GTE—ND

12/07

Erosion of natural deposits; runoff from orchards; runoff from glass and electronics production wastes.

Nitrate

10 ppm

MHP—.8 ppm

GTE—..8 ppm

09/07

Runoff from fertilizer use, leaching from septic tanks, erosion of natural deposits

Sodium

None

MHP—N/D

GTE--.3.49 ppm

5/01

Leaching from natural mineral deposits

Fluoride

4 ppm

MHP--0.3 ppm

GTE--ND

5/01

Erosion of natural deposits; water additive that promotes strong teeth; discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories

Sulfate

Trihalomethanes

(TTHM)

Haloacetic acids

MHP--2.6 ppm

GTE--11.35 ppm

MHP-3.6 ppm

GTE-0ppm

MHP – ND

GTE – ND

5/01

12/07

08/07

Not Regulated

A chemical compound that can occur in chlorinated water as a result of reaction between organic material in the water and chlorine added as a disinfectan

Chlorine

MRDL = 4

MHP - .57

GTE - .15

12/07

Water Additive used to control microbes

MCL

MCLG

Our Water

Range of Detection

Sample Date

Violation?

Typical Source of Contaminant

Volatile Organic Compounds

Synthetic Organic Compounds

MHP--ND GTE--ND

12/07

Radionuclides

MCL

MCLG

Our Water

Range of Detection

Sample Date

Violation?

Typical Source of Contaminant

Alpha Activity

15 pCi/l

MHP--1.6 pCi/l

GTE --1.9 pCi/l

+/-0.9

+/-1.7

5/01

6/01

Erosion of natural deposits

Beta Activity

50 pCi/l

MHP--1.8 pCi/l

GTE--3.1 pCi/l

5/01

6/01

Erosion of natural deposits

Lead/Copper

Action

Level

MCLG

Our Water

Range of Detection

Sample Date

Violation?

Typical Source of Contaminant

Copper

1.3 PPM

0.21 PPM

ND to 0.42 PPM

12/07

Corrosion of pipes within the water system, erosion of natural mineral deposits

Lead

15 PPB

.002 PPB

ND to 5 PPB

12/07

Corrosion of pipes within the water system, erosion of natural mineral deposits

Bacteria

MCL

MCLG

Our Water

Range of Detection

Sample Date

Violation?

Typical Source of Contaminant

Total Coliform

Present

Not

Present

Not

Present

01 – 12/07

Naturally present in environment

Microbiological Contaminants:

(1) Total Coliform--Coliform are bacteria that are naturally present in the environment and are used as an indicator that other, potentially harmful, bacteria may be present.

Radioactive Contaminants:

(2) Beta/photon emitters--Certain minerals are radioactive and may emit forms of radiation known as photons and beta radiation. Some people who drink water containing beta and photon emitters in excess of the MCL over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

(3) Alpha emitters--Certain minerals are radioactive and may emit a form of radiation known as alpha radiation. Some people who drink water containing alpha emitters in excess of the MCL over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

Inorganic Contaminants:

(4) Arsenic--Some people who drink water containing arsenic in excess of the MCL over many years could experience skin damage or problems with their circulatory system, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

(5) Nitrate--Infants below the age of six months who drink water containing nitrate in excess of the MCL could become seriously ill and, if untreated may die. Symptoms include shortness of breath and blue-baby syndrome.

(6) Copper--Copper is an essential nutrient, but some people who drink water containing copper in excess of the action level over a relatively short amount of time could experience gastrointestinal distress. Some people who drink water containing copper in excess of the action level over many years could suffer liver or kidney damage. People with Wilson's Disease should consult their personal doctor.

(7) Lead--Infants and children who drink water containing lead in excess of the action level could experience delays in their physical or mental development. Children could show slight deficits in attention span and learning abilities. Adults who drink this water over many years could develop kidney problems or high blood pressure.

(8) Fluoride—Some people who drink water containing fluoride in excess of the MCL over many years could get bone disease, including pain and tenderness of the bones. Children may get mottled teeth.

As you can see by the table, our system had no violations. We’re proud that your drinking water meets or exceeds all Federal and State requirements. We have learned, through our monitoring and testing, that some regulated compounds are present at levels below the MCL. The EPA has determined that your water is safe at these detected levels.

All sources of water are subject to potential contamination by substances that are naturally occurring or man made.

These can be microbes, inorganic or organic chemicals and radioactive substances. All 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 the water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

MCL’s are set at very stringent levels. To understand the possible health effects described for many regulated constituents, a person would have to drink 2 liters of water every day at the MCL level for a lifetime to have a one-in-a-million chance of having the described health effect.

Total Coliform: The Total Coliform Rule requires water systems to meet a strict limit for coliform bacteria. Coliform bacteria are usually harmless, but their presence in water can be an indication of disease-causing bacteria. When coliform bacteria are found, special follow-up tests are done to determine if harmful bacteria are present in the water supply. If this limit is exceeded, the water supplier must notify the public by newspaper, television or radio.

Nitrates: As a precaution we always notify physicians and health care providers in this area if there is ever a higher than normal level of nitrates in the water supply.

Lead: Lead in drinking water is rarely the sole cause of lead poisoning, but it can add to a person's total lead exposure. All potential sources of lead in the household should be identified and removed, replaced or reduced.

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-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/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by cryptosporidium and other microbiological contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline 1-800-426-4791.