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Water Testing Performed in 2017 WATER REPORT Quality annual Presented By City of Blackfoot Water Department PWS ID#: 6060007 ---PAGE BREAK--- Where Does My Water Come From? T he City’s source is groundwater from the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer. It is pumped by 9 vertical turbine wells located through out the system. Important Health Information S ome 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 may be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. The U.S. EPA/CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791 or http://water.epa.gov/drink/hotline. Water Conservation Tips Y ou can play a role in conserving water and saving yourself money in the process by becoming conscious of the amount of water your household is using and by looking for ways to use less whenever you can. It is not hard to conserve water. Here are a few tips: • Automatic dishwashers use 15 gallons for every cycle, regardless of how many dishes are loaded. So get a run for your money and load it to capacity. • Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth. • Check every faucet in your home for leaks. Just a slow drip can waste 15 to 20 gallons a day. Fix it and you can save almost 6,000 gallons per year. • Check your toilets for leaks by putting a few drops of food coloring in the tank. Watch for a few minutes to see if the color shows up in the bowl. It is not uncommon to lose up to 100 gallons a day from an invisible toilet leak. Fix it and you save more than 30,000 gallons a year. • Use your water meter to detect hidden leaks. Simply turn off all taps and water-using appliances. Then check the meter after 15 minutes. If it moved, you have a leak. Quality First O nce again we are pleased to present our annual water quality report. As in years past, we are committed to delivering the best-quality drinking water possible. To that end, we remain vigilant in meeting the challenges of new regulations, source water protection, water conservation, and community outreach and education while continuing to serve the needs of all of our water users. Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to serve you and your family. We encourage you to share your thoughts with us on the information contained in this report. After all, well- informed customers are our best allies. Public Meetings W e want our valued customers to be informed about their water utility. If you wish to learn more, please attend any of our regularly scheduled meetings. City Council meetings are held on the 1st & 3rd Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. Find out more on the internet at www.cityofblackfoot.org. Or visit our Facebook page for the City of Blackfoot. ---PAGE BREAK--- Questions? The Blackfoot Water Department, works around the clock to provide top quality water to every tap. We ask that all our customers help us protect our water sources. Which are the heart of our community, our way of life and our children’s future. In the year of 2017 The City of Blackfoot pumped 1.2 billion gallons of water. If you have any questions about this report of concerning your water utility, please feel free to contact Vernon Cannon, Water Superintendent at (208) 785- 8608. Monday thru Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. On Fridays 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Protecting Your Water B acteria are a natural and important part of our world. There are around 40 trillion bacteria living in each of us; without them, we would not be able to live healthy lives. Coliform bacteria are common in the environment and are generally not harmful themselves. The presence of this bacterial form in drinking water is a concern, however, because it indicates that the water may be contaminated with other organisms that can cause disease. In 2016, the U.S. EPA passed a new regulation called the Revised Total Coliform Rule, which requires additional steps that water systems must take to ensure the integrity of the drinking water distribution system by monitoring for the presence of bacteria like total coliform and E. coli. The rule requires more stringent standards than the previous regulation, and it requires water systems that may be vulnerable to contamination to have in place procedures that will minimize the incidence of contamination. Water systems that exceed a specified frequency of total coliform occurrences are required to conduct an assessment of their system and correct any problems quickly. The U.S. EPA anticipates greater public health protection under the new regulation due to its more preventive approach to identifying and fixing problems that may affect public health. Although we have been fortunate to have the highest-quality drinking water, our goal is to eliminate all potential pathways of contamination into our distribution system, and this new rule helps us to accomplish that goal. Water treatment is a complex, time-consuming process. Substances That Could Be in Water T o ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the U.S. EPA prescribes regulations limiting the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations establish 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 these contaminants does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk. 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, in some cases, radioactive material, and substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity. Substances that may be present in source water include: Microbial Contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, or wildlife; Inorganic Contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally occurring or may result from urban stormwater runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming; Pesticides and Herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban stormwater runoff, and residential uses; Organic Chemical Contaminants, including and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production and may also come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff, and septic systems; Radioactive Contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or may be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities. For more information about contaminants and potential health effects, call the U.S. EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791. Lead in Home Plumbing I f present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. We are responsible for providing high-quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at www.epa.gov/lead. ---PAGE BREAK--- What’s a Cross-connection? C ross-connections that contaminate drinking water distribution lines are a major concern. A cross-connection is formed at any point where a drinking water line connects to equipment (boilers), systems containing chemicals (air conditioning systems, fire sprinkler systems, irrigation systems), or water sources of questionable quality. Cross-connection contamination can occur when the pressure in the equipment or system is greater than the pressure inside the drinking water line (backpressure). Contamination can also occur when the pressure in the drinking water line drops due to fairly routine occurrences (main breaks, heavy water demand), causing contaminants to be sucked out from the equipment and into the drinking water line (backsiphonage). Outside water taps and garden hoses tend to be the most common sources of cross-connection contamination at home. The garden hose creates a hazard when submerged in a swimming pool or when attached to a chemical sprayer for weed killing. Garden hoses that are left lying on the ground may be contaminated by fertilizers, cesspools, or garden chemicals. Improperly installed valves in your toilet could also be a source of cross-connection contamination. Community water supplies are continuously jeopardized by cross-connections unless appropriate valves, known as backflow prevention devices, are installed and maintained. We have surveyed industrial, commercial, and institutional facilities in the service area to make sure that potential cross-connections are identified and eliminated or protected by a backflow preventer. We also inspect and test backflow preventers to make sure that they provide maximum protection. For more information on backflow prevention, contact the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791. The number of gallons of water produced daily by public water systems in the U.S. 34 BILLION The age in years of the world’s oldest water found in a mine at a depth of nearly two miles. 2 BILLION The amount of money spent annually on maintaining the public water infrastructure in the U.S. 135 BILLION The number of highly trained and licensed water professionals serving in the U.S. 199 THOUSAND The number of miles of drinking water distribution mains in the U.S. 1 MILLION The number of active public water systems in the U.S. 151 THOUSAND The number of Americans who receive water from a public water system. 300 MILLION BY THE NUMBERS ---PAGE BREAK--- Naturally Occurring Bacteria T he simple fact is, bacteria and other microorganisms inhabit our world. They can be found all around us: in our food; on our skin; in our bodies; and, in the air, soil, and water. Some are harmful to us and some are not. Coliform bacteria are common in the environment and are generally not harmful themselves. The presence of this bacterial form in drinking water is a concern because it indicates that the water may be contaminated with other organisms that can cause disease. Throughout the year, we tested many water samples for coliform bacteria. In that time, none of the samples came back positive for the bacteria. Federal regulations require that public water that tests positive for coliform bacteria must be further analyzed for fecal coliform bacteria. Fecal coliform are present only in human and animal waste. Because these bacteria can cause illness, it is unacceptable for fecal coliform to be present in water at any concentration. Our tests indicate that no fecal coliform is present in our water. Source Water Assessment A Source Water Assessment Plan (SWAP) is now available at our office. This plan is an assessment of the delineated area around our listed sources through which contaminants, if present, could migrate and reach our source water. It also includes an inventory of potential sources of contamination within the delineated area, and a determination of the water supply’s susceptibility to contamination by the identified potential sources. According to the Source Water Assessment Plan, our water system had a susceptibility rating of ‘medium’. If you would like to review the Source Water Assessment Plan, please feel free to contact our office during regular office hours. The Source Water Assessment Plan is also available online at: http://deq.idaho.gov/water-quality/source-water/ assessments/ ---PAGE BREAK--- Definitions Test Results O ur water is monitored for many different kinds of substances on a very strict sampling schedule. The information in the data tables shows only those substances that were detected between January 1 and December 31, 2017. Remember that detecting a substance does not necessarily mean the water is unsafe to drink; our goal is to keep all detects below their respective maximum allowed levels. The State recommends monitoring for certain substances less than once per year because the concentrations of these substances do not change frequently. In these cases, the most recent sample data are included, along with the year in which the sample was taken. REGULATED SUBSTANCES SUBSTANCE (UNIT OF MEASURE) YEAR SAMPLED MCL [MRDL] MCLG AMOUNT DETECTED RANGE LOW-HIGH VIOLATION TYPICAL SOURCE Combined Radium (pCi/L) 2016 5 0 0.692 0–2.06 No Erosion of natural deposits Combined Uranium (ppb) 2016 30 0 1.44 0.94–2.29 No Erosion of natural deposits Nitrate (ppm) 2017 10 10 2.47 1.240–3.190 No Runoff from fertilizer use; Leaching from septic tanks, sewage; Erosion of natural deposits AL (Action Level): The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow. MCL (Maximum Contaminant Level): The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the 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. allow for a margin of safety. 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. (Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal): The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants. NA: Not applicable pCi/L (picocuries per liter): A measure of radioactivity. ppb (parts per billion): One part substance per billion parts water (or micrograms per liter). ppm (parts per million): One part substance per million parts water (or milligrams per liter). Tap water samples were collected for lead and copper analyses from sample sites throughout the community SUBSTANCE (UNIT OF MEASURE) YEAR SAMPLED AL MCLG AMOUNT DETECTED (90TH%TILE) SITES ABOVE AL/TOTAL SITES VIOLATION TYPICAL SOURCE Copper (ppm) 2015 1.3 1.3 0 0/30 No Corrosion of household plumbing systems; Erosion of natural deposits Lead (ppb) 2015 15 0 2 0/30 No Corrosion of household plumbing systems; Erosion of natural deposits