SYSTEM I
We're very pleased to provide you with this year's Annual Drinking Water Quality 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 to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water. The 0 Upper Souris Water District-System I currently uses groundwater pumped by two wells from the Columbus Aquifer. Our groundwater treatment plant has limited production of 150 gallons per minute. The water is treated for iron and manganese removal and chlorine is added for full-time disinfection.
The Upper Souris Water District-System I is participating in North Dakota's Wellhead Protection Program. A copy of this program is available upon request. The North Dakota Department of Health has prepared a Source Water Assessment for System 1. Information regarding this assessment is also available upon request.
Our public water system, in cooperation with the North Dakota Department of Health, has completed the delineation and contaminant/land use inventory elements of the North Dakota Source Water Protection Program. Based on the information from these elements, the North Dakota Department of Health has determined that our source water is "not likely susceptible" to potential contaminants. No significant sources of contamination have been identified.
If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water district, please contact Gary Hager, our General Manager, at 701-3854093. We want our valued customers to be informed about their water district. If you want to learn more, please attend any of our regularly scheduled meetings. They are held on the third Monday of every month at 7:30 pm in the water district's office. If you are aware of non-English speaking individuals who need help with the appropriate language translations, please call Mr. Hager at the number listed above.
The Upper Souris Water District-System I would appreciate it if large volume water customers would please post copies of the Annual Drinking Water Quality Report in conspicuous locations or distribute them to tenants, residents, patients, students, and/or employees, so individuals who consume the water, but do not receive a water bill, can learn about our water system.
The Upper Souris Water District-System I routinely monitors for contaminants in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws.
The following table shows the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1st to December 31st, 2007. As authorized and approved by EPA, the state has reduced monitoring requirements for certain contaminants to less often than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants are not expected to vary significantly from year to year. Some of our date [e.g., for inorganic contaminants], though representative, is more than one year old.
The sources of drinking water (both tap 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 Include:
Microbial Contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic system, 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. _
Pesticides and Herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban storm water runoff, and residential uses.
Organic Chemical Contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff, and septic systems.
Radioactive Contaminants, which can be naturally-occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.
In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water, which must provide the same protection for public health.
In the following table you will find many terms and abbreviations you might not be familiar with. To help you better understand these terms, we've provided the following definitions.
Not applicable (NA), No Detect (ND)
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 (pg/l) - 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.
Action Level (AL) ~ the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.
Treatment Technique (TT) - A treatment technique is required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.
Maximum Contaminant Level- The "Maximum Allowed" (MCL) 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 – The "Goal" (MCLG) 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.
Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL) - The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants.
Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG) - The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.
Obsnvs – Observations/field at 100 Power
Unregulated Contaminants
Cont. MCLG MCL Level Det. Units Range Date (Year) Vio. Y/N Other Info Likely Source of Contamination
Bicarbonate as HCO³ NA NA 1160 ppm NA 2001 No NA
Calcium NA NA 17 ppm NA 2007 No NA
Chloride NA NA 212 ppm NA 2007 No NA
Hardness, Total (as CAC03) NA NA 66 ppm NA 2007 No NA
Iron NA NA 0.07 ppm NA 2007 No NA
Magnesium NA NA 5.7 ppm NA 2007 No NA
Manganese NA NA 0.037 ppm NA 2007 No NA
pH NA NA 8.14 pH NA 2007 No NA
Potassium NA NA 4.7 ppm NA 2001 No NA
Sodium NA NA 542 ppm NA 2007 No NA
Sodium Absorption Ratio NA NA 29 obsvns NA 2007 No NA
TDS NA NA 1360 ppm NA 2007 No NA
Unregulated contaminants are those for which EPA has not established drinking water standards. The purpose of unregulated contaminant monitoring is to assist EPA in determining the occurrence of unregulated contaminants in drinking water and whether future regulation is warranted.
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 EPA’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 contaminants, 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.
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).
Please call Gary Hager, our General Manager, at 701-385-4093 if you have questions concerning your water system. The Upper Souris Water District works diligently to provide top quality water to every tap. We ask that all our customers help us protect our water sources, which are the heart of our system, our way of life and our children's future.
TEST RESULTS FOR UPPER SOURIS WATER DISTRICT-SYSTEM l
Cont. MCLG MCL Level Det. Units Range Date (Year) Vio. Y/N Other Info Likely Source of Contamination
Radioactive Contaminants
Uranium, Combined NA 30 0.244 ppb NA 2003 No Erosion of natural deposits
Inorganic Contaminants
Arsenic NA NA 17 ppm NA 2007 No NA
Barium NA NA 212 ppm NA 2007 No NA
Fluoride NA NA 66 ppm NA 2007 No NA
Nitrate-Nitrite (as Nitrogen) NA NA 0.07 ppm NA 2007 No NA
Selenium NA NA 5.7 ppm NA 2007 No NA
Copper NA NA 0.037 ppm NA 2007 No NA
Lead NA NA 8.14 pH NA 2007 No NA
Disinfection Byproducts
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) NA 30 35 ppb 16.59-35.26 2007 No By-product of drinking water chlorination
Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs) NA 80 60 ppb 43.19-59.59 2007 No By-product of drinking water chlorination
Disinfectants
Chlorine Residual MRDLG=4 MRDL=4.0 2.5 ppm 1.15-3.59 2007 No Water additive used to control mictrobes
Total Organic Carbon Removal
Alkalinity, Total NA NA 953 ppm NA 2007 No
EPA requires monitoring of over 80 drinking water contaminants. Those contaminants listed in the table above are the only contaminants detected in your drinking water.