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.
Our 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:
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've provided 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.
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 |
EBW--ND TFW--ND |
NA |
12/08 12/08 |
No |
Runoff
from fertilizer use, leaching from septic tanks, erosion of natural deposits |
|
Chlorine |
MRDL
= 4 |
NA |
.125 |
NA |
12/08 |
No |
Water additive to control
microbes |
|
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)
Chlorine – Some
people who use water containing chlorine well in excess of the MRDL could
experience irritating effects to their eyes and nose. Some people who drink
water containing chlorine well in excess of the MRDL could experience stomach
discomfort.
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 substances 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.
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
Volatile Organics
(VOC’s) to 2013
Synthetic
Organics (SOC’s) to 2010
Inorganics (IOC’s) to 2010
Asbestos to 2011
Dioxin to 2011
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. Call our office at (208) 772-3619 if you have
questions.
PLEASE DON’T DUMP ANYTHING ON
THE GROUND THAT YOU WOULD NOT WANT TO DRINK!