City of Kalispell Public Works City Water Information ~ Consumer Confidence Report

We are pleased to give you this annual Consumer Confidence Report. It is a snapshot of drinking water quality for the City of Kalispell between January and December 1998. The presentation of information in this report follows the requirements set out by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and includes, where required, certain mandatory language that we may not change.

Why am I receiving this report?
Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) twenty-five years ago and with that action gave the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the task of making rules to ensure that drinking water is safe. In 1996, Congress passed amendments to the SDWA that require the operators of drinking water systems to give consumers important information about their drinking water each year. This is the first of these annual reports.

What if I have questions about my water?
If you have any questions about this report or need other information regarding the City's water quality testing you may: Call Joni Emrick, Microbiologist, at 758-7817; Write or visit the Department of Public Works, City Hall, Box 1997, 312 First Avenue East, Kalispell, MT 59903; Attend a regular City Council meeting on the first and third Monday of each month at 7:00 P.M. in the City Hall.

Where does our water come from?
The City of Kalispell drinking water sources are five ground water wells and one ground water spring. The wells draw from a deep artesian aquifer that lies under the entire valley. The spring also draws from this deep artesian aquifer and a shallow unconfined alluvial aquifer as well. The five wells are named and located as follows: Armory Well, located at 1850 Highway 93 South; Buffalo Hill Well, located at 100 Buffalo Hill Drive; Depot Well, located at 35 First Avenue E.N.; Grandview Wells (#1 & #2), located at 775 Grandview Drive. Noffsinger Spring is located at 100 Lawrence Park Road. Three reservoirs on Buffalo Hill provide storage for meeting daily fluctuations in demand. The water is delivered to you by a system having more than sixty miles of pipe.

What contaminants might be in water?
The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs and wells. All sources of drinking water are subject to potential contamination by constituents that are naturally occurring or man made because as water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground it dissolves naturally occurring minerals or comes in contact with other materials. The potential contaminants can be microbes, organic or inorganic chemicals, or radioactive materials.

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 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 (800-426-4791).

Is our water safe for everyone?
We confidently believe that Kalispell's drinking water is safe for the general population. However, we also believe it is prudent to recognize that some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immunocompromised 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 microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791). Terms & abbreviations for the table below:

TEST RESULTS
Contaminant	Violation Y/N	Sample Date	Highest Level Detected	Range Detected	Unit Measurement	MCLG	MCL	Likely Source of Contamination
Microbiological Contaminants
Total Coliform Bacteria	Y	June	4	N/A	CFU/100 milliliters	0	Presence of coliform bacteria in 5% of monthly samples	Naturally present in the environment
Fecal coliform and E.coli	Y	June	2	N/A	CFU/100 milliliters	0	a routine sample and repeat sample are total coliform positive and one is also fecal coliform or E. coli positive	Human and animal fecal waste
Inorganic Contaminants
Barium	N	1996 & 1997	0.1	0.1 - 0.1	ppm	2	2	Discharge of drilling wastes; discharge from metal refineries; erosion of natural deposits
Copper	N	1998	0.12 **	0.01 - 0.15	ppm	1.3	Action Level (AL) =1.3	Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits; leaching from wood preservatives
Fluoride	N	1996 & 1997	0.16	ND - 0.16	ppm	4	4	Erosion of natural deposits; water additive which promotes strong teeth; discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories
Lead	N	1998	9 **	5 - 24 *	ppb	0	Action Level (AL) = 15	Corrosion of household plumbing systems, erosion of natural deposits
Mercury (inorganic)	N	1996 & 1997	0.2	ND - 0.2	ppb	2	2	Erosion of natural deposits; discharge from refineries and factories; runoff from landfills; runoff from cropland
Nitrate (as Nitrogen)	N	1998	0.74	0.21 - 0.74	ppm	10	10	Runoff from fertilizer use; leaching from septic tanks, sewage; erosion of natural deposits

** 90th percentile value is used to determine if the system exceeds the Action Level
* 1 out of 31 samples was above the Action Level of 15

Were contaminants detected? During 1998, the City of Kalispell performed more than five hundred tests for potential microbial and chemical contaminants in your drinking water. These tests included twelve samples collected each month for coliform and fecal coliform bacteria. In June, we detected coliform bacteria in samples from one small area of Kalispell. We took immediate steps to eliminate the contaminant and to prevent a reoccurrence. We disinfected the entire City water system with chlorine and then installed new equipment to maintain a small chlorine residual in the water distribution system at all times. This has been an effective remedy. There have been no further violations. Had we failed to take these immediate corrective actions there could have been adverse health effects for some persons.

Potential adverse health effects of microbiological contaminants:
Total Coliform: Coliforms are bacteria that are naturally present in the environment and are used as an indicator that other, potentially harmful, bacteria may be present. Coliforms were found in more samples than allowed and this was a warning of potential problems.
Fecal Coliform/E. Coli: Fecal coliforms and E. coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause short-term effects such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, and people with severely compromised immune systems.

We also detected very small amounts of barium, copper, fluoride, lead, mercury, and nitrate, as shown in the table. The numbers in the "highest level detected" column are well below the maximum amount, the MCL, allowed by the EPA. Although these constituents were detected in small amounts, it is important to know the Environmental Protection Agency considers the water to be safe at these levels. You may notice that some of the data may be from years prior to 1998. In these cases, our inclusion of the information in the sampling schedule follows EPA requirements.

What is our goal? Our goal, as always, is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water. We also want to provide you with information on the quality of your drinking water. This report is a new process for us and, for this first time, has involved a great deal of effort to produce. In future reports we hope to provide you with additional information.