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DID YOU KNOW? • The water you drink comes from 11 ground-water source wells with 3 more to be added in 2025. The water is disinfected using chlorination at each source prior to entering the storage and distribution system. As in years past, your tap water from Kalispell's public water supply met all federal and state drinking water health standards. • The City of Kalispell’s water is considered moderately hard at 205 milligrams per liter, or 12 grains per gallon hardness. • Nitrate in drinking water at levels 10 ppm is a health risk for infants of less than six months of age. High nitrate levels in drinking water can cause blue baby Nitrate levels may rise quickly for short periods of time because of rainfall or agricultural activity. If you are caring for an infant, you should ask advice from your health care provider. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR LEAD If 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. Kalispell Public Works is 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 http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead. 2024 ANNUAL DRINKING WATER QUALITY REPORT The City of Kalispell is pleased to present this year’s Annual Water Quality Report (Consumer Confidence Report) as required by the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). This report covers the period from January 1-December 31, 2024. This report is designed to provide details about where your water comes from, what it contains, and how it compares to standards set by regulatory agencies. This report is a snapshot of last year’s water quality. We are committed to providing you with information because informed customers are our best resources to aid in maintaining and improving water quality. If you are a landlord, property manager, or know someone who is not billed directly, please share this report with your tenants and friends. www.kalispell.com CONSUMER CONFIDENCE REPORT ---PAGE BREAK--- SOURCES OF DRINKING WATER 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. 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 EPAs Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791. Contaminants 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, and wildlife. Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally occurring or 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 can also come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff, and septic systems. Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities. HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED? For further information contact: Joe Schrader, Water Resource Manager at [PHONE REDACTED] Write or visit the Department of Public Works, City Hall, PO BOX 1997, 201 1st Avenue East, Kalispell, MT 59903 or visit our website: www.kalispell.com Attend a City Council Meeting on the first and third Monday of each month at 7:00 pm in City Hall DO I NEED TO TAKE SPECIAL PRECAUTIONS? 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/Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Water Drinking Hotline ([PHONE REDACTED]). ---PAGE BREAK--- WATER QAULITY DATA TABLE Lead and Copper Lead and Copper Date Sampled MCLG Action Level (AL) 90th Percentile # Sites Over AL Units Violation Likely Source of Contamination Copper 2023 1.3 1.3 0.1 0 ppm N Erosion of natural deposits; Leaching from wood preservatives; Corrosion of household plumbing systems. Lead 2023 0 15 2 0 ppb N Corrosion of household plumbing systems; Erosion of natural deposits. Regulated Contaminants Contaminant Group: Disinfectants and Disinfection By-Products Regulated Contaminants Collection Year Highest Level Detected Range of Levels MCLG MCL Units Violation Likely Source of Contamination Chlorine 2024 0.40 .37 - .4 = 4 MRDL = 4 ppm N Water additive used to control microbes. Source Water Information for Kalispell Public Works which is classified as a Ground Water system The source water assessment report for your water system provides additional information on your source water's susceptibility to contamination. To access this report please go to: On the webpage look under Make Results of the Delineation and Assessment Available to the Public" and then click on the grey box called "Review Source Water Assessment Reports". WATER QUALITY DATA In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations which limit the amount of contaminants in water provided by public water systems. The table on the following page lists all of the drinking water contaminants that we detected during the calendar year of this report. Although many more contaminants were tested, only those substances listed below were found in your water. All sources of drinking water contain some naturally occurring contaminants. At low levels, these substances are generally not harmful in our drinking water. Removing all contaminants would be extremely expensive, and in most cases, would not provide increased protection of public health. A few naturally occurring minerals may actually improve the taste of drinking water and have nutritional value at low levels. Unless otherwise noted, the data presented in this table is from testing done in the calendar year of the report. The EPA or the State requires us to monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants do not vary significantly from year to year, or the system is not considered vulnerable to this type of contamination. As such, some of our data, though representative, may be more than one year old. In this table you will find terms and abbreviations that might not be familiar to you. To help you better understand these terms, we have provided the definitions below. Action Level: The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements that a water system must follow. Maximum Contaminant Level or MCL: The highest level of contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the as feasible using the best available treatment technology. Maximum Contaminant Level Goal or MCLG: 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. Maximum residual disinfectant level or MRDL: The highest level of disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that the addition of a disinfectant is necessary for the control of microbial contaminants. Maximum residual disinfectant level goal or 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. N/A: Not applicable. ND: Not detectable at testing limit. Picocuries per liter (pCi/L): Measure of the radioactivity in water. ppb: micrograms per liter or parts per billion - or one ounce in 7,350,000 gallons of water. ppm: milligrams per liter or parts per million - or one ounce in 7,350 gallons of water. Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level (SMCL): SMCL’s are established as a guidelines to assist public water systems in managing their drinking water for aesthetic considerations, such as taste, color, and odor. These contaminants are not considered to present a risk to human health at the SMCL. ---PAGE BREAK--- Contaminant Group: Inorganic Contaminants Regulated Contaminants Collection Year Highest Level Detected Range of Levels MCLG MCL Units Violation Likely Source of Contamination Barium 2023 0.14 .09 - .14 2 2 ppm N Discharge of drilling wastes; Discharge from metal refineries; Erosion of natural deposits. Fluoride 2023 0.20 .11 - .2 4 4 ppm N Erosion of natural deposits; Water additive which promotes strong teeth; Discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories. Nitrate [measured as Nitrogen] 2024 3 .21 – 2.54 10 10 ppm N Runoff from fertilizer use; Leaching from septic tanks, sewage; Erosion of natural deposits. Contaminant Group: Radioactive Contaminants Regulated Contaminants Collection Year Highest Level Detected Range of Levels MCLG MCL Units Violation Likely Source of Contamination Combined Radium 226/228 2020 2.10 ND - 2.1 0 5 pCi/L N Erosion of natural deposits. GROSS ALPHA, EXCL. RADON & Uranium 2020 4.70 ND - 4.7 0 15 pCi/L N Erosion of natural deposits. Uranium 2020 1.90 1.8 - 1.9 0 30 ppb N Erosion of natural deposits. Secondary Contaminants Secondary Contaminants Collection Year Highest Level Detected Range of Levels SMCL Units Likely Source of Contamination and or Reason for Monitoring CHLORIDE 2024 11.10 3.6 - 11.1 250 ppm Likely Source of Contamination and/or Reason for Monitoring Residue from water treatment process: erosion of natural deposits IRON 2024 270 180 - 270 300 ppb Naturally occurring, corrosion of cast iron pipes PH 2024 7.69 7.58–7.69 6.5 – 8.5 Standard Unit Runoff and leaching from natural deposits; seawater influence SULFATE 2024 7.40 5.5 – 7.4 250 ppm Runoff and leaching from natural deposits; industrial wastes TDS 2024 260 207 – 260 500 Ppm Erosion of natural deposits. ---PAGE BREAK--- PFAS – Primary Drinking Water Rule On April 10, 2024, a final rule from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) setting limits for PFAS in drinking water was signed. The rule, which become effective 60 days after publication in the Federal Register, establishes a National Primary Drinking Water Regulation that will apply to all community water systems and non-transient non-community water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The rule requires a public water system to come into compliance with the signed in five years. Public water systems have three years to complete baseline monitoring and another two years to implement treatment or switch to an uncontaminated source of drinking water, if PFAS levels exceed one or more of the established Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL). EPA set limits for five individual PFAS: PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, and HFPO-DA (known as GenX Chemicals), and a Hazard Index level for two or more of four PFAS as a mixture: PFNA, HFPO-DA, and PFBS. Kalispell Sampling Efforts and Results In 2024 drinking water samples were collected and analyzed for PFAS from all the Kalispell Public Water System (PWS) source water wells. The sampling was undertaken as a component of Kalispell's ongoing initiative aimed at assessing and comprehending the impacts of PFAS on the Public Water System (PWS). To view all 2024 sample locations and results please visit our website at Consumer Drinking Water Notice - Emerging Contaminants (PFAS) I Kalispell, MT. City Action Items -What is Being Done? Public Information and Notice: • Sending out Consumer Drinking Water Notice in Spring 2025. • Continual updating of Website with relevant information. Projects to Minimize Exposure: • In October 2024, Ion Exchange PFAS Treatment, which was approved by DEQ, was added to Grandview Wells. Samples taken after treatment indicate no detectable PFAS compounds in finished water being served from this source. • Kalispell has been awarded funding to address PFAS exposures detected during previous samplings events. • Design of replacement sources is in progress with construction anticipated from 2025-2027. Further Evaluation and Baseline Monitoring: • Further evaluation of Grandview Ion Exchange PFAS Treatment will continue at quarterly intervals while in operation as outlined in the approved sampling plan. • Baseline monitoring in compliance with the PFAS Rule is scheduled to begin in the 1st quarter of 2026 and will occur at all water production facilities quarterly for four consecutive quarters for one year. • Results will be posted on the City’s Website.