2008
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
second Thursday of each month at the District office:
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, 2008. 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 that a water system
must follow.
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.
MV1 – Mountain View Terrace well #1 located on the south side
of
MV2 – Mountain View Terrace well #2 located on the north side
of
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 |
|
Sample
Date |
Violation? |
Typical Source of
Contaminant |
|
Nitrate
|
10
ppm |
10
ppm |
MV1—1.6 PPM MV2—1.6
PPM |
Na Na |
12/08 12/08 |
No No |
Runoff from fertilizer use, leaching from septic tanks, erosion of natural deposits
|
|
Arsenic
|
10 ppb |
Na |
MV1—.0079 ppm |
Na |
9/08 |
No |
Erosion
of natural deposits; runoff from orchards; runoff from glass and electronics
production wastes |
|
Bacteria |
MCL |
MCLG |
Our Water |
|
Sample
Date |
Violation? |
Typical Source of
Contaminant |
|
Total
Coliform |
Present
|
Not Present
|
Not Present |
Na
|
Monthly
|
No |
Naturally
present in environment |
Microbiological
Contaminants
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.
Inorganic
Contaminants
(1) 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.
(2) Arsenic – Some
people who drink water containing arsenic in excess of the MCL over may years
could experience skin damage or problems with their circulatory system, and may
have have an increased risk of getting cancer.
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 (800-426-4791).
Our wells are within the Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer Wellhead
Protection Area. This is a geographical and geological area where strict
regulations to protect ground water (drinking water) are applied. The Federal
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has granted the State of
Inorganics (IOC’s) to 2010
Volatile
Organics (VOC’s) to 2013
Synthetic
Organics (SOC’s) to 2010
Asbestos
to 2011
Dioxin to 2008
Cyanide
to 2011
North Kootenai Water District works diligently to provide quality
water to every tap. We ask that all our customers help us protect our water sources,
which are the heart of our community, our way of life and our children’s
future.
PLEASE
DON’T DUMP ANYTHING ON THE GROUND THAT YOU WOULD NOT WANT TO DRINK.