Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
Noonan, North Dakota
2009
We’re very pleased to provide you with this year's Annual Drinking Water Quality Report. We want to keep you informed about the excellent water and services we have delivered to you over the past year. Our goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water. Our water source is ground water drawn from two wells.
Our public water system, in cooperation with the North Dakota Department of Health, has completed the delineation and contaminant/land use inventory elements of the North Dakota Source Water Protection Program. Based on the information from these elements, the North Dakota Department of Health has determined that our water is not likely susceptible to potential contaminants.
If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility, please contact Doug Clemens, Publics Works Superintendent, at 701-925-3000. 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 on the second Tuesday of every month at 7:30 PM in the Noonan City Hall. If you are aware of non-English speaking individuals who need help with the appropriate language translation, please call Doug at the number listed above.
The city of Noonan would appreciate it if large volume water customers would please post copies of the Annual Drinking Water Quality Report in conspicuous locations or distribute them to tenants, residents, patients, students, and/or employees, so individuals who consume the water, but do not receive a water bill, can learn about our water system.
Noonan routinely monitors for contaminants in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws. The following table shows the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1st to December 31st, 2009. As authorized and approved by EPA, the state has reduced monitoring requirements for certain contaminants to less often than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants are not expected to vary significantly from year to year. Some of our data [e.g., for inorganic contaminants], though representative, is more than one year old.
The sources of drinking water (both tap 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.
Contaminants that may be present in source water include:
Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, that 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, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil production, mining or farming.
Pesticides and herbicides, that come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban stormwater runoff and residential uses.
Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic 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.
In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prescribes regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water that must provide the same protection for public health.
In the following table you will find many terms and abbreviations you might not be familiar with. To help you better understand these terms we've provided the following definitions:
Not Applicable (NA)
Parts per million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter (mg/l) - one part per million corresponds to one minute in two years or a single penny in $10,000.
Parts per billion (ppb) or Micrograms per liter (mg/l)- one part per billion corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000.
Picocuries per liter (pCi/l) - picocuries per liter is a measure of the radioactivity in water.
Action Level (AL)- the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.
Treatment Technique (TT) - A treatment technique is a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.
Maximum Contaminant Level - The “Maximum Allowed” (MCL) is the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.
Maximum Contaminant Level Goal - The “Goal” (MCLG) is 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.
TEST RESULTS for NOONAN |
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|
Contaminant |
MCLG |
MCL |
Level Detected |
Unit Measurement |
Range |
Date (year) |
Violation Yes/No Other Info |
Likely Source of Contamination |
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|
Radioactive Contaminants |
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|
Gross Alpha Inludng RA Excldng RN &U |
15 |
15 |
5.9 |
pCi/l |
NA |
7/2009 |
NO |
Erosion of natural deposits |
||
|
Radium, Combined (226,228) |
0 |
5 |
.762 |
pCi/l |
NA |
7/2009 |
NO |
Erosion of natural deposits |
||
|
Uranium, Combined |
0 |
30 |
.007 |
ppb |
NA |
7/2009 |
NO |
Erosion of natural deposits |
||
|
Unregulated Contaminants |
||||||||||
|
Gross Alpha Incl. Radon & U |
|
|
5.9 |
pCi/l |
NA |
7/2009 |
NO |
Erosion of natural deposits |
||
|
Inorganic Contaminants |
||||||||||
|
Arsenic |
0 |
10 |
1.39 |
ppb |
NA |
10/2007 |
NO |
Erosion of natural deposits; runoff from orchards; runoff from glass and electronics production wastes |
||
|
Barium |
2 |
2 |
0.221 |
ppm |
NA |
5/2007 |
NO |
Discharge of drilling wastes; Discharge from metal
refineries; Erosion of natural deposits |
||
|
Fluoride |
4 |
4 |
3.19 |
ppm |
NA |
5/2007 |
NO |
Erosion of natural deposits; Water additive which
promotes strong teeth; Discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories |
||
|
Selenium |
50 |
50 |
12 |
ppb |
NA |
5/2007 |
NO |
Discharge form petroleum and metal refineries;
Erosion of natural deposits; Discharge from mines |
||
|
TTHM’s |
0 |
80 |
8 |
ppb |
NA |
12/2007 |
NO |
By-Product of drinking water chlorination |
||
|
HAA5 |
0 |
60 |
5 |
ppb |
NA |
12/2007 |
NO |
By-product of drinking water disinfection |
||
|
Chlorine |
MRDL=4 |
MRDL=4.0 |
1.9 |
ppm |
.2 to 2.2 |
01/2009 |
NO |
Water additive used to control microbes |
||
|
Lead |
0 |
AL=15 |
6 90th % Value |
ppb |
NA |
7/2007 |
0 Sites exceeded AL |
Corrosion of household plumbing systems, erosion of natural deposits |
||
|
Nitrate-Nitrite (as Nitrogen) |
10 |
10 |
0.02 |
ppm |
NA |
2006 |
NO |
Runoff from fertilizer use; leaching from septic tanks, sewage; erosion of natural deposits |
||
|
Copper |
0 |
AL=1.3 |
0.9 90th % Value |
Ppm 1 |
NA |
7/2007 |
0 Sites exceeded AL |
Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits; leaching from wood preservatives |
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|
|
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|
Volatile Organic Contaminants |
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EPA requires monitoring of over 80 drinking water contaminants. Those contaminants listed in the table above are the only contaminants detected in your drinking water.
Unregulated contaminants are those for which EPA has not established drinking water standards. The purpose of unregulated contaminant monitoring is to assist EPA in determining the occurrence of unregulated contaminants in drinking water and whether future regulation is warranted.
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 (1-800-426-4791).
MCL’s are set at very stringent levels. To understand the possible health effects described for many regulated contaminants, 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
cryptosporidium and other microbiological contaminants are available from the
Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).
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. [Name of utility] 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 drinking 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 form the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.
Please call Doug Clemens, Publics Works Superintendent, at 701-925-3000 if you have questions concerning your city’s water system.
The city of Noonan works diligently 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.