Consumer Confidence Report Archive - 2000
Archive ~ Current Report
City of Kalispell Resident: Welcome to the City's third annual report on drinking water quality. Enclosed you will find a summary of laboratory testing performed on your water for the 2000 calendar year. All water utilities in the United States are required by the 1996 Reauthorization of the Safe Drinking Water Act to report to their customers in this manner. This requirement ensures that all customers will be made aware of the safety and quality of the water being delivered. The presentation of this information follows strict EPA requirements and includes, where required, certain mandatory language that we may not change.
Kalispell Water System: Your drinking water comes from five ground water wells and one spring. The wells draw from a deep artesian aquifer that lies under the entire valley. The spring, which is ground water under the influence of surface water, 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.
Substances that are Monitored in Drinking Water
The sources of all 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. Water also can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity. Substances that may be present in source water include microorganisms, inorganic and organic chemicals, pesticides and herbicides, or radioactive materials.
Tap Water: In order to ensure 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.
Bottled Water: The Food and Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water that must also provide protection for public health.
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).
Summary of Laboratory Testing Results for 2000
The City of Kalispell is pleased to report that all detected substances in the water delivered to our customers are at levels less than regulatory limits for safe drinking water.
Water Testing: The City of Kalispell water has been tested for 80 regulated substances in addition to dozens of unregulated substances. The table below lists the substances that were detected during monitoring for the 2000 calendar year. Not all substances are tested each year; the most current test data is listed if the substance was not monitored in 2000. A key to the terms used in this table is included below.
|
Detected Contaminant
|
Sample Year
|
Level Detected
|
Range of Detections
|
Unit of Measurement
|
MCL
|
MCLG
|
Violation
Yes/No
|
|
Barium
|
2000
|
0.1
|
ND - 0.1
|
ppm
|
2
|
2
|
No
|
|
Di(2-ethylhexyl)Phthalate
|
2000
|
4.1
|
ND - 4.1
|
ppb
|
6
|
0
|
No
|
|
Nitrate(as Nitrogen)
|
2000
|
1.08
|
0.49 - 1.08
|
ppm
|
10
|
10
|
No
|
|
Lead
|
1998
|
9**
|
5 - 24*
|
ppb
|
AL=15
|
0
|
No
|
|
Copper
|
1998
|
0.12**
|
0.01 - 0.15
|
ppm
|
AL=1.3
|
1.3
|
No
|
|
TTHMS(total trihalomethanes)
|
2000
|
0.56+
|
ND - 1.40
|
ppb
|
100
|
N/A
|
No
|
* 1 out of 31 samples was above the Action Level of 15
** 90th percentile value
+ Highest annual average
Key to terms: Level detected is sometimes the highest amount detected and sometimes an average of all detected amounts from samples tested throughout the year. ND: Not detected at testing limit. ppm: Parts per million or milligrams per liter, equivalent to 1 penny in $10,000. ppb: Parts per billion or micrograms per liter, equivalent to 1 penny in $10,000,000. 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. 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. 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.
Likely sources of the above contaminants:
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. 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 microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).
The City of Kalispell water utility is dedicated to delivering high quality water and first-rate customer service to the community. The staff cares about every drop of water we deliver to our customers' homes.
