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, 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 data [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 systems, agricultural livestock operations and wildlife.

Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or result from urban storm water, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining or farming.

Pesticides and herbicides, which come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban stormwater 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 tables 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 (N/A)

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 (µg/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.

Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU) – nephelometric turbidity unit is a measure of the clarity of water. Turbidity in excess of 5 NTU is just noticeable to the average person.

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 a 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 MCLG’s 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. MCLG’s allow for a margin of safety.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG) - The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLG’s do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL) - The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that addition to a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants.

* Turbidity is an indirect measure of suspended material (such as clay and silt) in water. Turbidity is continuously measured during plant operation to monitor the performance/effectiveness of our filtration system. The month of March 2007 had the highest single turbidity measurement of 0.12 N.T.U. The month of December 2007 had the lowest single turbidity measurement of 0.029 N.T.U. The lowest monthly percentage of samples meeting turbidity limits equals 100%.

** 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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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).

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
Mike Kemnitz, General Manager
Telephone: (701) 663-8549

Morton County Water Resource District (Board Members)

Alfred Underdahl, Hebron
Wade Bachmeier, Mandan
George Saxowksy, Hebron
Tony Goetzfried, Mandan Safe

Drinking Water Hot Line (800-426-4791)