2007 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report

City of Menno

Annual Drinking Water Quality Report

January 1, 2007 – December 31, 2007

Water Quality

Last year, the City of Menno monitored your drinking water for more than 80 possible contaminants. This brochure is a snapshot of th= e quality of the water that we provided last year.&= nbsp; Included are details about where your water comes from, what it contains, and how it compares to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state standards. We are comm= itted to providing you with information because informed customers are our best allies.

Water Source <= /p>

We serve more than 729 customers an average of 84,800 gallons of water per day. Our water is surface wa= ter that we purchase from Bon Homme-Yankton Rural = Water System. The state has performed an assessment of our source water and they= have determined that the relative susceptibility rating for the Menno public wa= ter supply system is high.

For more information about your water and information on opportunities to participate in public meetings, call (605) 387-2427 and ask for Peggy Thranum= . <= /p>

If you have any quest= ions about this report please contact:

Fred Sayler

PO= Box 43= 2

= Menno, SD <= st1:PostalCode>57045-0432

Phone: (605) 387-5414

Additional Information

The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include river= s, 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= 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, 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 storm water 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 storm = water 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 storm water runoff, and septic systems.

Radioactive contaminants<= span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New= Roman"'>, which can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas productio= n and mining activities.

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink,= EPA prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in w= ater provided by public water systems. FDA regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for p= ublic health.

Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The prese= nce of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk.= More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtaine= d by calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Ho= tline (800-426-4791).

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-comp= romised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who h= ave 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 t= he risk of infection by Cryptosporidi= um and other microbial contaminants can be obtained by calling the Environmen= tal Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).=

If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinki= ng water is primarily from materials and components associated with service l= ines and home plumbing. The City of Menno publ= ic water supply system is responsible for providing high quality drinking wat= er, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. W= hen your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potent= ial 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 wat= er, you may wish to have your water tested. Information on lead in drinking wa= ter, 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/le= ad.

=

Detected Contaminants<= /b>

The attached table lists all the drinking water contaminants that we detected during the 2007 calendar year. The presence of these contaminants in the water does not necessarily indicate = that the water poses a health risk. Unless otherwise noted, the data presented in this table is from te= sting done January 1 – December 31, 2007.&n= bsp; The state requires us to monitor for certain contaminants less than= once per year because the concentrations of those contaminants are not expected= to vary significantly from year to year.&nbs= p; Some of the data, though representative of the water quality, is mo= re than one year old.

Terms and Abbreviations Used in the Following Table=

The following definitions are provided to assist you in understanding our water quality test results and the following discussion of the results.

Action Level (= AL) - The concentrat= ion of a contaminant which, when exceeded, triggers treatment or other require= ments, which a water system must follow.<= o:p>

Maximum Contaminant Level (= MCL) - The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drin= king water. = MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible usin= g the best available treatment technology.

Maximum C= ontaminant Level Goal (MCLG) - 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.

Treatment Technique (TT): A required process intended to reduce the level of a c= ontaminant in drinking water.

Units

1.&= nbsp; MFL: million fibers per liter

2.&= nbsp; mrem/year: millirems pe= r year (a measure of radiation absorbed by the body)

3.&= nbsp; NTU: Nephelometric Turbidity Units

4.&= nbsp; pCi/l: picocuries per = liter (a measure of radioactivity)

5.&= nbsp; ppt: parts per trillion, or n= anograms per liter

6.&= nbsp; ppm: parts per million, or milligrams per liter (m= g/l)

7.&= nbsp; ppq: parts per quadrillion, or picograms per liter

8.&= nbsp; ppb: parts per billion, or micrograms per liter (ug/l)

9.&= nbsp; pspm: positive samples per month<= /p>

2007 WATER QUALITY TEST= RESULTS &nb= sp; = ; &= nbsp; Water Quality Tests Taken at the Bon Homme-Yankton RWS Treatment Plant &nb= sp; EPA ID No: 0865
Substance	Highest Level Detected	Range	Date Last Tested	Highest Level Allowed (MCL)	Ideal Goal (MCLG)	Units	Major Source of Contaminant
Alpha emitters	0.7		03/10/2004	15	0	pCi/l	Erosion of natural deposits.
Antimony	0.4		04/17/07	6	6	ppb	Discharge from petroleum refineries; fire retardants; ceramics; electronics; solde= r.
Barium	0.016		04/17/07	2	2	Ppm	Discharge of drilling wastes; discharge from metal refineries; erosion of natural deposits.
Chromium	1.3		04/17/07	100	100	ppb	Discharge from steel and pulp mills; erosion of natural deposits.
Copper	0.0	#Sites>1.3 AL-0	08/14/07	AL=3D1.3	0	ppm	Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits; leaching from wood preservatives.
Fluoride	1.32	0.93-1.32	07/31/07	4	4	ppm	Erosion of natural deposits; water additive that promotes strong teeth; discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories.
Haloacetic Acids	29.0	2.5-29.0	03/06/07	60	0	ppb	By-product of drinking water chlorination.
Lead	1	#Sites>15 AL-0	08/14/07	AL=3D15	0	ppb	Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits.
Selenium	2.6		04/17/07	50	50	ppb	Discharge from petroleum and metal refineries; erosion of natural deposits; discha= rge from mines
Turbidity	0.68	61% samples below 0.3	03/01/07	TT	NA	NTU	Soil runoff. Turbidity is a measurement of the clarity of the water
Total Trihalomethanes	40.1	16.6-40.1	0/24/08	80	0	ppb	By-product of drinking water chlorination
Turbidity	0.68	61% samples below 0.3	03/01/07	TT	NA	NTU	Soil runoff. Turbidity is a measurement of the clarity of the water
Alpha emitters	0.7		03/10/2004	15	0	pCi/l	Erosion of natural deposits.

1.&= nbsp; Not Applicable

2.&= nbsp; The symbol (<) means less than

3.&= nbsp; The symbol (>) means more than

&nb= sp; Water Quality Tests Taken at Customers Taps In the City of Me= nno &nb= sp; = ; EPA ID No: 0205 <= o:p>
Substance	Highest Level Detected<= /span>	Range	Date Tested<= /p>	Highest Level Allowed (MCL)	Ideal Goal (MCLG)	Units	Major Source of Contaminant
Copper	0.1	#Sites>1.3 AL-0	09/08/05	AL=3D1.3	0	ppm	Corrosion of household plumbing systems; = erosion of natural deposits; leaching from wood preservatives.=
Lead	3	#Sites>15 AL-0	09/08/05	AL=3D15	0	ppb	Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits.

We = Welcome Your Input

The City of Menno meets the first Monday of every month at 7:30 p.m. in the meeting room at City Hall. If you would like to attend one of the meetings you are welcome. Please contact Pe= ggy Thranum, Finance Officer, at 387-2427. The council provi= des an opportunity in the agenda for public input.