City of Kalispell Public Works City Water Information ~ Consumer Confidence Report 2005

Your Water Quality
We are pleased to issue our annual report for calendar year 2005 to consumers. This report is an opportunity to assure water utility customers of the safety and quality of their drinking water. The Kalispell Public Works Department vigilantly safeguards its water supplies and once again we are able to report the water delivered to your tap met all EPA and state drinking water health standards. We are committed to providing you with this information because informed customers are our best allies.

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.

Kalispell Water System
The source of drinking water for the City of Kalispell is groundwater wells and one spring. The Public Works Department manages the ground water wells and spring drawing from a deep artesian aquifer that lies under the entire Flathead valley. The spring primarily draws from this deep artesian aquifer but may also draw a small amount of water from a shallow unconfined alluvial aquifer as well. Therefore, the spring is classified as groundwater under the direct influence of surface water. 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 Source Assessment
A source water assessment has been performed on your drinking water to determine the quality of water before it is delivered to you and to help us identify ways to better protect our drinking water source. The assessment, completed in February 2003, indicated that Kalispell’s wells are not located near any significant contamination and are therefore classified as having “low source water sensitivity.” The spring is classified as having “high source water sensitivity,” but it is important to understand a rating of “high” does not imply poor water quality since there is low susceptibility to contaminants. The results of the drinking water source assessment are public record and can be viewed upon request. If you need further information on the quality of our source water, please contact Joni Emrick at 758-7817.

Important Health Information:
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).

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).

Test Results for Kalispell’s Water – Calendar 2005
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 below.
The EPA regulates substances that are potentially harmful to human health and have a reasonable possibility of being found in our source water or finished drinking water. The State requires that we monitor our water for these regulated contaminants. Tests may be performed weekly, quarterly, or annually depending on the substance. The level of some substances, changes little over time or past results show the probability of detection is very low. These contaminants are then monitored less than annually. As a result, some of the data, though representative of the water quality, is more than one year old. Data older than five years is not included in the table.

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	2005	No
Copper (ppm)	0.09¹⁾	0.02	0.12	AL=1.3	1.3	2004	No
Flouride (ppm)	0.05	0.05	0.05	4	4	2005	No
Lead (ppb)	5¹⁾	ND	10	AL=15	0	2004	No
Nitrate (measured as nitrogen) (ppm)	0.78	0.15	0.78	10	10	2005	No
TTHMS (Total Trihalomethanes) (ppb)	0.30²⁾	NA	NA	80	NA	2005	No
Total Organic Carbon (ppm)	0.31²⁾	NA	NA	TT	NA	2005	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.

Questions or concerns about your drinking water?
If you have questions about your tap water quality or would like information on opportunities for public participation in decisions that affect your water quality, 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.

Public Works Staff:
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.