Consumer Confidence Report Archive - 1999
Archive ~ Current Report
This report is a snapshot of the quality of water that we provided last year. Included are details about where your water comes from, what it contains, and how it compares to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state standards. The presentation of information follows EPA requirements and includes, where required, certain mandatory language that we may not change.
Your drinking water comes from 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 through a distribution system having more than sixty miles of pipe.
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 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 byproducts 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, EPA prescribes regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. We treat our water according to EPA's regulations. Food and Drug Administration regulations establish the limits for contaminants in bottled water.
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).
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).
WATER QUALITY DATA
In 1999 we conducted more than 350 tests for over 70 drinking water contaminants. The table below lists the 6 contaminants we detected; none were at a level higher than allowed. It is important to know that the Environmental Protection Agency considers the water to be safe at these levels. Some of our data in the table are more than one year old since certain chemical contaminants are monitored less than once a year. Our sampling frequency complies with EPA drinking water regulations.
Terms and abbreviations used below:
- MCLG (Maximum Contaminant Level Goal): 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.
- MCL (Maximum Contaminant Level): 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.
- AL (Action Level): The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.
- N/A: Not applicable ND: Not detected at testing limit ppm: Parts per million or milligrams per liter ppb: Parts per billion or micrograms per liter.
|
Detected Contaminant
|
Sample Date
|
Level Detected
|
Range of Detections
|
Unit of Measurement
|
MCL
|
MCLG
|
Violation
Yes/No
|
|
Barium
|
1999
|
0.1
|
ND - 0.1
|
ppm
|
2
|
2
|
No
|
|
Fluoride
|
1999
|
0.1
|
0.1 - 0.1
|
ppm
|
4
|
4
|
No
|
|
Nitrate(as Nitrogen)
|
1999
|
0.71
|
0.20 - 0.71
|
ppm
|
10
|
10
|
No
|
|
Lead
|
1998
|
9
|
5 - 24*
|
ppb
|
0
|
AL=15
|
No
|
|
Copper
|
1998
|
0.12
|
0.01 - 0.15
|
ppm
|
1.3
|
AL=1.3
|
No
|
|
TTHMS(total trihalomethanes)
|
1999
|
0.64+
|
ND - 5.35
|
ppb
|
100
|
N/A
|
No
|
+ Highest annual average
* 1 out of 31 samples was above the Action Level of 15
Likely sources of the above contaminants:
Bacteriological monitoring is performed monthly to test for the presence of coliform bacteria, fecal coliform, and E.coli. Our system is required to collect 10 samples monthly. No bacteriological contamination was found in 1999.
If you have questions about this report or need further information about the City's water quality testing, call Joni Emrick at 758-7817; Write or visit the Department of Public Works, City Hall, P.O. 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.
