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Missouri West
Water System We're pleased to present to you this year's Quality on Tap Report. This report is designed to inform you about the safe clean water we deliver to you every day. Our constant goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water. We want you to understand the efforts we make to continually improve the water treatment process and protect our water resources. We are committed to ensuring the quality of your water. Our water source is from the City of Mandan, which provides treated surface water drawn from the Missouri River. The Mandan Water Treatment Plant uses the following treatment processes: clarification, softening, filtration, fluoridation, and disinfection. The North Dakota Department of Health has prepared a Source Water Assessment for Mandan’s surface water intake. The North Dakota Water Assessment Program has classified Mandan’s water system as moderately susceptible. It should be noted that historically the city has effectively treated its source water to meet drinking water standards and the risk for potential contamination is low. A copy of the assessment report can be reviewed at the water treatment plant. “I'm pleased to report that our drinking water is safe and meets federal and state requirements,” said Mike Kemnitz, General Manager, Missouri West Water System. This report shows our water quality and what it means. If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility, please contact Mike Kemnitz, General Manager, Missouri West Water System, at 701-663-8549. We want our valued customers to be informed about their water utility. If you want to learn more, please attend any of our regularly scheduled meetings. They are held on the last Wednesday of the month at 1:00 p.m. at 2816 37th Street N.W., Mandan, ND. If you are aware of non-English speaking individuals who need help with the appropriate language translation, please call Mike Kemnitz at the number listed above. The Missouri West Water System would appreciate it if large volume water customers post copies of this Quality on Tap 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. Missouri West Water System 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 31, 2008. 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 data though representative, is more than one year old. Contaminants that may be present in source water include:
Microbial
contaminants,
such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment
plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and
wildlife.
Radioactive
contaminants,
which can be naturally-occurring or be the result of oil and gas
production and mining activities. 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 (1-800-426-4791). 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. 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/Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).
If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious
health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children.
Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components
associated with service lines and home plumbing. Missouri West Water
System is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but
cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components.
Use water from the cold tap for drinking and cooking. When your
water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the
potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2
minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If you are
concerned about lead in your drinking water, you may wish to have
your water tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing
methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available
from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at
http://www.wpa.gov/safewater/lead.
(ppm) parts
per million or (mg/l) milligrams per liter
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One part per million corresponds to one minute in two
years or a single penny in $10,000.
(NTU)
Nephelometric Turbidity Unit
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Nephelometric turbidity unit is a measure of the
clarity of water. Turbidity in excess of 5 NTU is just noticeable to
the average person. (TT) Treatment Technique - A treatment technique is a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water. (MCL) Maximum Contaminant Level - The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLG’s as feasible using the best available treatment technology.
(MCLG)
Maximum Contaminant Level Goal
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The level of a contaminant in drinking water below
which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLG’s allow
for a margin of safety.
** Copper and lead are tested at ten (10) locations throughout the distribution system. The Compliance Detection Level indicates the 90th percentile value, or the value that 90 percent of the test samples are below. No sample sites exceeded the action level. 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. 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. The City of Mandan sampled for 10 unregulated contaminants in 2008. No unregulated contaminants were detected. To obtain the sampling results please contact the water treatment plant. 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. As you can see by the table on page 3, 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 contaminants have been detected. The EPA has determined that your water IS SAFE at these levels. In our continuing efforts to maintain a safe and dependable water supply it may be necessary to make improvements in your water system. The costs of these improvements may be reflected in the rate structure. Rate adjustments may be necessary in order to address these improvements. Please call our office if you have questions. Missouri West Water System works around the clock 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 community, our way of life and our children’s future.
Missouri West Water Systems Morton County Water Resource District Board Members
Wade Bachmeier, Mandan
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