City of Kalispell Public Works City Water Information ~ Consumer Confidence Report 2002

Kalispell Resident: The City of Kalispell is publishing testing results for the city's drinking water during 2002. The purpose of this report is to advance consumers' understanding of drinking water and heighten awareness of the need to protect our water resources. The Safe Drinking Water Act ensures your right to know where your drinking water comes from and what is in it. The City of Kalispell Public Works Department intends that this report fulfill our obligation to provide you with current and accurate information about Kalispell's drinking water.

Where We Get Our Water
The source of the water supply for the City of Kalispell is groundwater wells and one spring. The Public Works Department manages ground water wells that draw from a deep artesian aquifer that lies under the entire Flathead valley. The spring is ground water under the influence of surface water and draws from this deep artesian aquifer and a shallow unconfined alluvial aquifer as well.

Water Demand
We used over one billion gallons of water in 2002. The amount varied from a low of 64 million gallons in January to a high of 187 million gallons in July, the difference reflecting seasonal demand.

Drinking Water Regulations
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 (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

The sources of drinking water (both tap water 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. Substances that may be present in source water include microorganisms, inorganic and organic chemicals, pesticides and herbicides, or radioactive materials.

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, 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.

If You Have Special Health Requirements
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/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 (800-426-4791).

For more information
If you have questions regarding your drinking water after reviewing the information in this report, 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.

How Kalispell’s Drinking Water Measures Up
The table below lists test results for Kalispell’s drinking tap water during 2002. Testing is not required for each contaminant every year because the concentrations of certain substances are not expected to vary significantly from year to year. As a result, some of the data, though representative of water quality, is more than one year old. No substance was found that violates state or federal regulations for tap water quality.

Contaminant	Your Water	Range High	Range Low	MCL	MCLG	Sample Date	Violation
Alpha emitters (pCi/L)	2.6	ND	2.6	15	0	2002	No
Barium (ppm)	0.1	ND	0.1	2	2	2002	No
Chlorine (as Cl2) (ppm)	0.29²⁾	NA	NA	4	4	2002	No
Copper (ppm)	0.09¹⁾	0.02	0.11	AL=1.3	1.3	2001	No
Flouride (ppm)	0.16	0.05	0.16	4	4	2002	No
Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) (ppb)	0.5²⁾	NA	NA	60	NA	2002	No
Lead (ppb)	7¹⁾	5	11	AL=15	0	2001	No
Nitrate (measured as nitrogen) (ppm)	0.65	0.15	.065	10	10	2002	No
TTHMS (Total Trihalomethanes) (ppb)	0.9²⁾	NA	NA	80	NA	2002	No
Total Organic Carbon (ppm)	0.82²⁾	NA	NA	TT	NA	2002	No

Understanding the Testing Data: Your Water is sometimes the highest amount detected and sometimes an average of all detected amounts from samples tested throughout the year.

MCL (Maximum Contaminant Levels). This is the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. Some contaminants also have MCL goals (MCLGs). This is the level of a contaminant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety. MCLs are set as close to MCLGs as feasible using the best available water treatment processes.

The MCL for Chlorine is known as the MRDL (Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level). This is the highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that the addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants. The MCLG for chlorine is known as the MRDLG (Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal). This is the level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.

Other Definitions: pci/L (picocuries per liter): a measure of radioactivity ND: Not detected at testing limit ppm: Parts per million or milligrams per liter ppb: Parts per billion or micrograms per liter NA: Not applicable AL (Action Level): The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements a water system must follow. TT (Treatment Technique): A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

Bacteriological monitoring is performed monthly to test for the presence of coliform bacteria, fecal coliform, and E.coli. Our system collects 15 samples each month and none were found to be contaminated.