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Middleton Water Utility 2011 Water Quality Report We’re pleased to present this year’s Water Quality Report. This report is designed to inform you about the quality of water we deliver to you every day. Our constant goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water. We want you to understand the efforts we make to continually improve the water treatment process and protect our water resources. We are committed to ensuring the quality of your water. Source of Water Middleton draws its water from six sandstone wells, ranging in depth from 330 feet to 856 feet. These wells penetrate the Franconia, Galesville, Eau Claire and Mount Simon formations. The City has provided the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources with inventory data on these wells which was used to prepare a source water assessment plan. This report shows our water quality and what it means If you have any questions with this report, please contact the Middleton Water Utility at (608) 821-8370. We want our valued customers to be informed about their water utility. If you want to learn more, please attend any of our regularly scheduled meetings. They are held at the City of Middleton-7426 Hubbard Avenue at 7:00 pm on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month. The Middleton Water Utility routinely monitors for constituents in our drinking water according to Federal and State laws. The table shows the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1st to December 31st , 2011. Wellhead Protection The City of Middleton has adopted a Wellhead Protection Plan and Ordinance. The purpose of these land use controls is to help protect the source of our drinking water. Copies of the plan are available for inspection at City Hall. Definition of Terms Term Definition 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. nd No detect pCi/l picocuries per liter (a measure of radioactivity) ppm parts per million, or milligrams per liter (mg/l) ppb parts per billion, or micrograms per liter (ug/l) TCR Total Coliform Rule ---PAGE BREAK--- TEST RESULTS Inorganic Contaminants Contaminant (units) MCL MCLG Level Found Range Sample Date (if prior to 2011) Violation Typical Source of Contaminant ARSENIC (ppb) 10 n/a 1 nd - 1 NO Erosion of natural deposits; Runoff from orchards; Runoff from glass and electronics production wastes BARIUM (ppm) 2 2 .070 .003-.070 NO Discharge of drilling wastes; Discharge from metal refineries; Erosion of natural deposits CHROMIUM (ppb) 100 100 2 nd - 2 NO Discharge from steel and pulp mills; Erosion of natural deposits COPPER (ppm) AL=1.3 1.3 .23 0 of 32 results were above the action level NO Corrosion of household plumbing systems; Erosion of natural deposits; Leaching from wood preservatives FLUORIDE (ppm) 4 4 1.0 .1 - 1.0 NO Erosion of natural deposits; Water additive which promotes strong teeth; Discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories LEAD (ppb) AL=15 0 7.30 3 of 32 results were above the action level. * Corrosion of household plumbing systems; Erosion of natural deposits NICKEL (ppb) 100 4.3000 1.2000-4.3000 NO Nickel occurs naturally in soils, groundwater and surface waters and is often used in electroplating, stainless steel and alloy products. NITRATE (N03-N) (ppm) 10 10 4.20 .06 – 4.20 NO Runoff from fertilizer use; Leaching from septic tanks, sewage; Erosion of natural deposits SODIUM (ppm) n/a n/a 22.00 3.40-22.00 NO n/a NITRITE (NO2-N) (ppm) 1 1 .060 nd-.060 NO Runoff from fertilizer use; Leaching from septic tanks, sewage; Erosion of natural deposits THALLIUM TOTAL (ppb) 2 0.5 .3 nd- .3 NO Leaching from ore-processing sites; Discharge from electronics, glass, and drug factories Number of Contaminants Required to be Tested This includes all contaminants that were required to be tested in the last 5 years. Contaminant Group # of Contaminants Disinfection Byproducts 2 Inorganic Contaminants 16 Microbiological Contaminants 3 Radioactive Contaminants 4 Organic Contaminants including Pesticides and Herbicides 27 Unregulated Contaminants 34 Volatile Organic Contaminants 20 ---PAGE BREAK--- * Systems exceeding a lead and/or copper action level must take actions to reduce lead and/or copper in the drinking water. The lead and copper values represent the 90th percentile of all compliance samples collected. If you want information on the number of sites or the actions taken to reduce these levels, please contact your water supplier. Health effects for any contaminants with MCL violations Contaminant Health Effects Coliform (TCR) Coliforms are bacteria which are naturally present in the environment and are used as an indicator that other, potentially-harmful, bacteria may be present. Coliforms were found in more samples than allowed and this was a warning of potential problems. Volatile Organic Contaminants Contaminant (units) MCL MCLG Level Found Range Sample Date (if prior to 2011) Violation Typical Source of Contaminant (ppb) 700 700 .1 nd- .4 NO Discharge from Petroleum Refineries Radioactive Contaminants Contaminant (units) MCL MCLG Level Found Range Sample Date (if prior to 2011) Violation Typical Source of Contaminant Grosse Beta Particle Activity (pCi/l) n/a n/a 1.8 1.8 NO Decay of natural and man- made deposits. MCL units are in millirem/year. Calculation for compliance with MCL is not possible unless level found is greater than 50 pCi/l. RADIUM, (226+228)(pCi/l) 5 0 2.8 nd- 2.8 NO Erosion of natural deposits Combined Uranium (ug/l) 30 0 1.5 nd - 1.5 03/04/2008 NO Erosion of natural deposits Gross Alpha, EXCL. R&U (pCi/l) 15 0 3.8 nd- 5.2 NO Erosion of natural deposits Gross Alpha, Incl. R&U (n/a) n/a n/a 3.8 nd- 5.2 NO Erosion of natural deposits Microbiological Contaminants Contaminant (units) MCL MCLG Count of positives Sample Date (if prior to 2011) Violation Typical Source of Contaminant Coliform (TCR) Presence of coliform bacteria in of samples 0 2 Yes Naturally present in the environment Exceeded total positives allowed by 1 ---PAGE BREAK--- Monitoring and Reporting Violations Monitoring and reporting violations occur when a water system fails to collect and/or report results for State required drinking water sampling. “Sample location” refers to the distribution system, or an entry point or well number from which a sample is required to be taken. Contaminant Group Sample Location Compliance period Beginning Compliance Period Ending Fluoride Distribution System 12/01/2011 12/31/2011 Fluoride samples that were missed include: Fluoride. Explanation of Test Results We’re proud that your drinking water meets or exceeds all Federal and State requirements. We have learned through our monitoring and testing that some constituents have been detected. The EPA has determined that your water IS SAFE at these levels. All sources of drinking water are subject to potential contamination by constituents that are naturally occurring or man made. Those constituents can be microbes, organic or inorganic chemicals, or radioactive materials. All 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 the water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-[PHONE REDACTED]. MCL’s are set at very stringent levels. To understand the possible health effects described for many regulated constituents, a person would have to drink 2 liters of water every day at the MCL level for a lifetime to have a one-in-a million chance of having the described health effect. 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/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by and other microbiological contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline 1-[PHONE REDACTED]. Please call the Middleton Water Utility at (608) 821-8370 if you have any questions. Disinfection Byproducts Contaminant (units) MCL MCLG Level Found Range Sample Date (if prior to 2011) Violation Typical Source of Contaminant HAA5 (ppb) 60 60 3 nd- 3 NO TTHM (ppb) 80 0 10.4 10.4 NO By-product of drinking water chlorination Unregulated Contaminants Contaminant (units) MCL MCLG Level Found Range Sample Date (if prior to 2011) Violation Typical Source of Contaminant BROMODICHLOROMETHANE (ppb) n/a n/a 2.00 nd- 2.00 NO n/a CHLOROFORM (ppb) n/a n/a 7.60 .12- 7.60 NO n/a DIBROMOCHLOROMETHANE (ppb) n/a n/a .78 nd- .78 NO n/a SULFATE (ppm) n/a n/a 19.00 2.70-19.00 NO n/a