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ANNUAL WATER QUALITY REPORT 2015 WATER TESTING PERIOD PWS ID #2290023 ---PAGE BREAK--- MEETING THE CHALLENGE We are once again proud to present to you our annual water quality report. This edition covers all testing completed from January 1 through December 31, 2015. Over the years, we have dedicated ourselves to producing drinking water that meets all state and federal drinking water standards. We continually strive to adopt new and better methods for delivering the best quality drinking water to you. As new challenges to drinking water safety emerge, we remain vigilant to meeting the challenges of source water protection, water conservation, and community education while continuing to serve the needs of all our water users. Please share with us your thoughts about the information in this report. After all, well-informed customers are our best allies. LEAD INFORMATION STATEMENT Health Effects and Ways to Reduce Exposure 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. The City of Moscow 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 two 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 ([PHONE REDACTED]) or at www.epa.gov/safewater/lead. ADDITIONAL HEALTH INFORMATION 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 microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at [PHONE REDACTED]. ---PAGE BREAK--- WHERE DOES MY WATER COME FROM? Moscow has five wells which draw water from two underground aquifers; the shallow aquifer known as the Wanapum and a deeper aquifer called the Grand Ronde. Wells #2 and #3 draw water from the Wanapum, and Wells and #9 draw water from the Grande Ronde. To protect our source water, the City of Moscow Water Department implements best management practices aimed at protecting the wellheads and surface seals within the zone immediate to the wells. SOURCE WATER ASSESSMENT A Source Water Assessment for the City of Moscow was completed in 2001. The assessment determined that Wells #2 and #3 have overall higher susceptibility risk ratings, compared to Wells #8 and The City of Moscow has never had a sample exceed the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for possible contaminates. A copy of the Source Water Assessment can be obtained from the State of Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). For more information regarding the assessment, contact Kyle Steele at (208) 883-7133. QUESTIONS? For more information about this report, or for any questions relating to your drinking water, please call one of the following people: Kyle Steele, Environmental Services Supervisor (208) 883-7133 Mike Dimmick, Water Production Supervisor (208) 892-8655 David Richardson, Utility Operations Manager (208) 883-7108 Tyler Palmer, Deputy Director – Operations (208) 883-7096 Les MacDonald, Public Works Director (208) 883-7028 FIND THIS WATER QUALITY REPORT, AND MORE, ONLINE Go to www.ci.moscow.id.us/water and check out the links on the left side of the page. Here you can view current and past Water Quality Reports, Backflow, Residential Fat, Oil, and Grease (FOG) Reduction Program, Wastewater Treatment Plant FAQs, and Water Conservation Program information. These are just a few of the pages available, with more to come. Take a look and let us know if there is anything else you would like to know about. ---PAGE BREAK--- SUBSTANCES THAT COULD BE IN WATER To 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. ---PAGE BREAK--- 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. The MCL for beta particles is 4 mrem/year. The U.S. EPA considers 50 pCi/L to be the level of concern for beta particles. Definitions 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). SAMPLING RESULTS During the past year, we have taken hundreds of water samples in order to identify the presence of any radioactive, biological, inorganic, volatile organic, or organic contaminants. The table below shows only those contaminants that were detected in the water. Although all of the substances listed here are under the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL), we feel it is important that you know exactly what was detected and how much of the substance was present in the water. The state allows us to monitor 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 Violations Typical Source MRDL Contaminant Unit of Measure Sample Date MCL [MRDL] MCLG Highest Level Detected Running Annual Average Violations Typical Source Substance Unit of Measure Year Sampled MCL [MRDL] MCLG Lowest Level Detected Highest Level Detected Violations Typical Source Substance Unit of Measure Year Sampled AL MCLG Amount Detected (90th %tile) Sites Above AL/ Total Sites Violations Typical Source Combined Radium-226 and 228 pCi/L 2013 5 0 0.41 No Erosion of natural deposits Chlorine ppm 4 4 1.0 0.3 No Water additive used to control microbes (Total Trihalomethanes) ppb 2013 80 NA 0.4 5.4 No By-product of drinking water chlorination Chromium ppb 2010 100 100 1.21 1.39 No Discharge from steel and pulp mills; erosion of natural deposits Barium ppm 2010 2 2 0.007 0.17 No Discharge of drilling wastes; discharge from metal refineries; erosion of natural deposits Lead ppb 2015 15 0 5 0/35 No Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits Fluoride ppm 2014 4 4 0.3 1.6 No Erosion of natural deposits; water additive which promotes strong teeth; discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories Copper ppm 2015 1.3 1.3 0.428 0/35 No Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits; leaching from wood preservatives COPPER AND LEAD Tap water samples were collected for lead and copper analyses from sample sites throughout the community ---PAGE BREAK--- NOTICE: Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Regulation 3 Sample Results Available The City of Moscow’s Public Water System (PWS) is required to provide special notice to residents served by the system of the availability of monitoring results from sampling that occurred last year to comply with the Federal Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Regulation 3 (UCMR The UCMR 3 requires all PWSs serving 10,000 or more individuals to conduct monitoring for unregulated contaminants. We are pleased to report that none of the contaminants sampled for were detected. For more information regarding the UCMR 3, please contact Kyle Steele at the City Water Department, (208) 883-7133. ---PAGE BREAK--- WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAM The Moscow Water Department has supplied safe drinking water to the residents and businesses of Moscow Idaho since the 1890s. Through an elaborate system of wells, filters, reservoirs, miles of underground infrastructure, and those individuals who manage it all play a vital role in delivering the precious underground aquifers to the tap. Conserving this resource has been and will continue to be an important goal for the City. The City of Moscow has had a long standing conservation program, dating back to the 1970s, by supplying effluent reuse water for University of Idaho landscapes. Since that time the program has evolved to include reductions in water use from both commercial and residential customers through the City’s regional management approach, tiered rate structure and water conserving programs. As one of the pumping entities for the Palouse Ground Water Basin, Moscow agreed to the voluntary goals set by the Palouse Basin Aquifer Committee (PBAC) in 1992. As an active member of the Palouse Basin Water Summit, Inc., that hosts an annual conference in October, the City continues to work with other communities that share our water source. 2004 brought about more additions to the City’s conservation efforts, which included the Water Waste Resolution, Irrigation Ordinance, and Water Conservation Study that suggested a tiered rate billing structure, adopted in 2007. A more ambitious program is on the horizon with the 2016 adoption of the staff-generated Water Conservation Plan, which offers additional incentives. To assist and motivate the residents of Moscow in attaining their water conservation goals, the Water Conservation Program addresses customer water needs at home, at work, and at school. Water saving devices, the outdoor Wisescape™ Awards, booth events, education outreach, Wisescape demonstration gardens, and rebates are some of the available resources. With population growth and warmer weather trends, conservation is a necessity to further reduce the pressure on our declining aquifers. With an ongoing goal of providing safe water to meet the needs of the people, the Water Conservation Program is sure to remain a solid support as our citizens strive to be good stewards of our precious resource: water. ---PAGE BREAK--- THINGS THE WATER DEPARTMENT IS DOING The Water Department Team has been busy upgrading water services and maintaining nearly 6,000 water meters and approximately 95 miles of drinking water mains. The department has an on-going fire hydrant replacement program, which targets fire hydrants in need of repairs or upgrades. Nineteen hydrants out of the approximately 860 fire hydrants within the water system are scheduled for replacement this year. We have also set a goal to replace 25 older water services, which can be pose problems during emergencies. We are continuing to exercise the City’s 1,800 water main isolation valves to insure the valves work when leaks, line breaks or unplanned emergencies arise. In addition, 20 new isolation valves will be installed in the water distribution system this year; adding these additional valves will help minimize the number of customers without water during emergency shut-downs. The drilling of the City’s new Well No. 10 will begin this spring. The City is developing the additional groundwater source—Well No. 10—to ensure that the system is able to continue to meet needs through the 20-year planning horizon, as well as the reliability and redundancy requirements contained within the state rules. The proposed Well No. 10 will be sized to match the current capacity of Well No. 9. Well No. 10 will initially operate as a redundant supply to No. 9, utilizing the same water rights. In 2009, the City was successful in modifying the existing water right for No. 9 to include a second point of diversion, which will be No. 10. Call Us First If you are unsure if a particular issue is your responsibility as the homeowner or the City’s responsibility, call us first. The City of Moscow Public Works Department provides the following service: • Water – For water-related questions and concerns such as: no water, low pressure, water leaks, or taste and odor concerns, please call (208) 882-3122. • Sewer – For concerns pertaining to sewer overflows and backups, or odors, please call (208) 882-3122. • Streets – For blocked storm drains, debris, pot holes or traffic light outages, please call (208) 883-7097.