City of Kalispell Public Works City Water Information ~ Consumer Confidence Report 2004

City of Kalispell Resident
The City of Kalispell is pleased to issue the annual report for calendar year 2004 to consumers. This report is an opportunity to assure water utility customers of the safety and quality of their drinking water. As you read this report, you will learn that the water delivered to your tap meets all state and federal water quality standards.

Kalispell Water System
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. The City’s water is considered moderately hard and is expressed in two ways, as 205 milligrams per liter (mg/L) or 12 grains per gallon (gpg) hardness.

Drinking Water Sources
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.

Important Health Information:
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 Crytosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800/426-4791).

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 established limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same 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 (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800/426-4791).

Test Results for Kalispell’s Water – Calendar 2004
Before the City of Kalispell can deliver water to your home, it must first be thoroughly tested in certified laboratories that can detect trace amounts of contaminants. The City of Kalispell’s test results for last year are shown in the table on the next page. The EPA regulates substances that are potentially harmful to human health and have at least a reasonable possibility of being found in either water sources or finished drinking water. Our water is monitored for these regulated contaminants at one time or another. Some substances are tested frequently: weekly, quarterly, or annually. The level of some substances, however, changes little over time; or the chances of detecting them is expected to be low. These contaminants are monitored less than annually. Substances that have been found in previous years’ testing are listed in the table along with the year they were found.

Summary of Monitoring Results: Kalispell’s water is tested for nearly 100 different contaminants; only those detected are listed in the table below. Test results again show Kalispell’s water safe to drink.

Contaminant	Your Water	Range Low	Range High	MCL	MCLG	Sample Date	Violation
Alpha emitters (pCi/L)	2.6	ND	2.6	15	0	2002	No
Chlorine (as Cl2) (ppm)	0.33²⁾	NA	NA	4	4	2004	No
Copper (ppm)	0.09¹⁾	0.02	0.12	AL=1.3	1.3	2004	No
Flouride (ppm)	0.08	0.08	0.08	4	4	2004	No
Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) (ppb)	0.35²⁾	NA	NA	60	NA	2004	No
Lead (ppb)	5¹⁾	ND	10	AL=15	0	2004	No
Nitrate (measured as nitrogen) (ppm)	0.67	0.15	.67	10	10	2004	No
TTHMS (Total Trihalomethanes) (ppb)	0.40²⁾	NA	NA	80	NA	2004	No
Total Organic Carbon (ppm)	0.40²⁾	NA	NA	TT	NA	2004	No

Terms used in the Chart:

Action Level: The concentration of a contaminant that if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements that a water system must follow.

MCL: Maximum Contaminant Level - The highest level of a contanminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology and taking costs into consideration. MCLs are enforceable standards.

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 and are non-enforceable public health goals.

MRDL: Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level - The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants.

pCi/L: Picocuries per liter is a measure of radioactivity in water. A picocurie is 10-12 curies and is the quantity of radioactive material producing 2.22 nuclear transformations per minute.

TT (Treatment Technique): A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water. Lead and copper are regulated by a treatment technique that requires systems to control the corrosiveness of their water. If 10% of tap water samples exceed the action level, water systems must take additional steps.

Range: The interval between the smallest and largest values detected during testing of Kalispell’s water.