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

City of Kalispell Resident: The Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974, with a major amendment in 1986, set a "multiple barrier" approach to drinking water protection. The barriers include assessing water safety and quality, protecting water sources, making sure that the water is treated by qualified people, ensuring the integrity of the distribution system, and making information on drinking water quality available to the public. This report provides information on the drinking water quality of our own local water system for calendar year 2001.

The City of Kalispell obtains water 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. Three reservoirs provide storage for meeting daily fluctuations in demand. The water is delivered to you through a distribution system having more than seventy-seven miles of pipe.

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). Special information for at-risk individuals

Our water meets all state and federal regulations for water safety. However, if you have special health requirements, you should know 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 table below lists laboratory testing results for the City of Kalispell water during the past year. The items listed were the only ones detected from a monitoring list of about 80 regulated substances, which have Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) established by the Safe Drinking Water Act. Testing is not required for each parameter every year. No substance was detected at a concentration that exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency limits for safe water.

Detected Contaminant	Sample Year	Level Detected	Range of Detections	Unit of Measurement	MCL	MCLG	Violation Yes/No
Barium	2001	0.1	ND - 0.1	ppm	2	2	No
Copper	2001	0.09¹⁾	0.02 - 0.11	ppm	AL = 1.3	1.3	No
Di(2-ethylhexyl)Phthalate	2001	2.97²⁾	ND - 10	ppb	6	0	No
Fluoride	2001	0.1	ND - 0.1	ppm	4	4	No
Lead	2001	7¹⁾	5 - 11	ppb	AL = 15	0	No
Nitrate(as Nitrogen)	2001	0.94	0.45 - 0.94	ppm	10	10	No
TTHMS(total trihalomethanes)	2001	0.73³⁾	ND - 1.9	ppb	80	N/A	No

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

Bacteriological monitoring is performed monthly to test for the presence of coliform bacteria, fecal coliform, and E.coli. Our system collects 15 samples monthly. No bacteriological contamination was reported in 2001.

If after reviewing this report you have questions regarding your drinking water, please 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.