HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999WATER SOURCES
Water for the City of Port Townsend and much of the outlying
service areas managed by the Jefferson County PUD (Glen Cove
and LUD3) is surface water that comes from the Big and Little
Quilcene Rivers in the northeast corner of the Olympic National
Forest. This water is stored in Lords Lake Reservoir, northwest of
Quilcene, and City Lake Reservoir, at the south end of Discovery
Bay.
The City and Forest Service have cooperated in a joint effort to
protect and enhance this important resource for over 70 years. In
1993 the Cooperative Watershed Protection Program for the Big
and Little Quilcene Municipal Watershed assessed the source water
and outlined additional programs to protect it. This document is
available for review at the City library. By minimizing opportunities
for contaminants to enter at the water=s source, we continue to
meet the stringent criteria required to remain an unfiltered surface
POTENTIAL CONTAMINANTS
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.
Contaminants that may be present in the source water include:
$ Microbial contaminants, such as viruses, protozoans, and
bacteria, which may come from wildlife.
$ Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which
can be naturally-occurring or result from stormwater
runoff.
$ Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a
variety of sources such as forestry and stormwater runoff.
$ Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and
volatile organic chemicals which come from stormwater
runoff.
$ Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally
occurring.
In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes
CURRENT OPERATIONS
In 1998 the City completed construction of pipeline modifications
which enabled the City to comply with the surface water treatment
technique for microbiological contaminant disinfection. Disinfectant
that remains in contact with drinking water for a specified length of
time removes or destroys microbiological contaminants and the
water is then considered by the EPA safe to drink.
Prior to the completion of water system improvements the City was
unable to provide the required contact time to all of its customers.
Through agreement with the Washington Department of Health, the
City was allowed to continue water service without adequate
contact time to a few customers while constructing the necessary
improvements. Affected customers were notified by public notice
until the situation was corrected.
LAB TESTING & MONITORING
The Port Townsend Water Department is involved in an extensive
testing and monitoring program to ensure that the safety and quality
of our drinking water meets, and in most cases exceeds all state
and federal drinking water regulations.
We collect a minimum of 4 untreated water samples per week at the
entrance to the distribution system, and a minimum of 10 samples
per month throughout the distribution system for microbiological
testing (fecal and total coliform, types of bacteria). The City also
has an inorganic analysis performed on water samples once a year
for such substances as nitrates, arsenic and iron. A wide spectrum
of testing is conducted for organic contaminants including
herbicides and pesticides, as required by the State Department of
Health.
All samples are sent to state certified laboratories for testing. As
shown in the analysis on the next pages, only minute traces of a
few contaminants were even detected.
regulations limiting the amount of certain contaminants in water
provided by public water systems. Food and Drug Administration
regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water, which
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 EPA=s Safe Drinking Water
Hotline (1-800-426-4791)
1998 ANNUAL WATER QUALITY ANALYSIS
The EPA regulates monitoring of over 80 contaminants. The ones listed in the tables below are the
only contaminants detected in your drinking water during the 1998 calendar year. Presence of these
chemicals in the water does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk. Data
presented in this table is from testing done January 1- December 31, 1998. The State requires us to
monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these
contaminants are not expected to vary significantly from year to year.
Organic Chemical Contaminants
MCL
MCLG
Port Townsend
Water (average)
Range of
Detections
Violation
Typical Source of Contaminant
Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs)
(ppb)
100
n/a
33
18-49
No
By-product of drinking water
chlorination
MCL
MCLG
Port Townsend
Water (highest)
Range of
Detections
Violation
Typical Source of Contaminant
Turbidity (NTU)
5
n/a
0.88
0.16-0.88
No
Soil runoff
Some people who drink water containing trihalomethanes in excess of the MCL over many years may experience problems with liver, kidneys, or
central nervous systems, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer.
Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons such
as those 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 microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).
Lead In Your Water
While the City’s drinking water sources do not contain measurable
amounts of lead, your home’s plumbing system may leach lead into
your water. Congress banned the use of lead solder in 1986. Still,
many homes in our community are plumbed with this material, along
with lead or galvanized pipe, and brass fixtures that may contain lead.
We have conducted repeated testing at high-risk customer taps since
1992. Results indicate lead and copper levels are well below action
thresholds. This is in part due to the neutral pH of the water, limiting its
corrosive potential.
Nonetheless, there is still some risk of lead contamination from water
that sits longer than six hours in contact with lead containing materials.
To reduce the risk of lead in your drinking water remember the
following:
Lead dissolves more quickly in hot water than in cold, so always
use cold water for drinking and cooking.
If the water has been sitting more than 6 hours, before drinking,
run the tap until you feel a change in temperature. Do this in the
morning and, if you have been gone all day, again in the evening.
Children and pregnant women are most at risk to lead exposure. To
reduce exposure, do not use warm tap water for baby formula or other
drinks or foods. Start with water taken from the cold-water faucet after
flushing and warm it if necessary.
Micro-Organisms
Some disease-causing organisms, such as cryptosporidium and giardia,
are difficult for microbiological labs to analyze. Chlorine disinfection, is
effective at controlling or eliminating bacterial growth, viruses and
giardia in our water. It does not, however, effectively control
cryptosporidium.
Our water has never caused an outbreak of cryptosporidium's flu-like
systems, like the infection of 400,000 people in Milwaukee during April of
1993. Still, low levels of these micro-organisms likely exist in our drinking
water and probably always have; this micro-organism is found in the
digestive systems of warm blooded animals which inhabit our
watersheds, and for that matter, most watersheds across the country.
Health risks associated with cryptosporidium are not believed to be
significant for healthy individuals. Infants, elderly and immune-
compromised individuals may be at greater risk and should consider
boiling or filtering their drinking water or purchasing bottled water that has
been distilled or adequately filtered.
Home Water Filters
Should you filter your water at home? Home water filters and other point-
of-use purification systems are used for a variety of reasons. Often
people filter to remove chlorine because they feel it improves the taste of
their water. Immune compromised or other high-risk individuals often
need purer water than most water systems, including our system can
deliver. Others are concerned about lead leaching from their home
plumbing or chlorine byproducts.
There are three basic types of water purification systems: filtration,
usually by carbon filters; reverse osmosis; and distillation. Expense and
effectiveness in removing impurities vary among the systems. For
information on specific home filter systems, contact the National
Sanitation Foundation (NSF) at 1-800-673-8010 or P.O. Box 130140,
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48113-0140.
Home water filters can be effective at removing contaminants. But if they
are not regularly cleaned and maintained, they can become a breeding
ground for other microbes, and cause health risks of their own.
Therefore proper maintenance is a critical part of any home filter system.
Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness of the water. We monitor it because it is a good indicator of water quality. High turbidity can hinder the
effectiveness of disinfectants.
While not required by the Environmental Protection Agency, we are including the information
below to help answer customer questions regarding what is in the water. State and federal
drinking water standards are set in two categories. Primary Standards relate to public health.
Secondary Standards relate to aesthetic qualities such as taste, odor and appearance.
In the tables below you can see how Port Townsend complies with both types of standards. The
first column lists each category and parameter in drinking water for which we routinely test.
Column two lists the maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for each compound if there is one. To
comply with state and federal standards, drinking water may not contain more than this amount.
The last column lists the levels of compounds observed in a mixture of Port Townsend's two
surface water sources.
ADDITIONAL MONITORING INFORMATION
Water Quality Parameter MCL Big/Little Quilcene
Inorganic Contaminants Rivers
Arsenic (ppb) 50 <10
Asbestos (MFL)* 7 n/d
Barium (ppm) 2 <0.1
Beryllium (ppb) 4 <3
Cadmium (ppb) 5 <2
Chromium (ppb) 100 <10
Copper (ppm)** 1.3 <0.2
Cyanide (ppb) 200 <50
Fluoride (ppm) 4 <0.2
Lead (ppb)*** 15 <2
Mercury (ppb) 2 <0.5
Nickel (ppb) 100 <40
Nitrate-nitrogen (ppm) 10.0 <0.5
Nitrite-nitrogen (ppm) 1.0 <0.5
Selenium (ppb) 50 <5
Thallium (ppb) 2 <2
Secondary Standards
Chloride (ppm) 250 <20
Iron (ppb) 300 <10
Manganese (ppb) 50 <10
Silver (ppb) 50 <10
Sulfate (ppm) 250 <10
Zinc (ppm) 5.0 <0.2
State or Non-Regulated Parameters
Aluminum (ppb) None set <50
Color (color units) 15 5
Hardness (ppm)**** None set 42
Magnesium (ppm) None set 2.6
pH None set 6.9
Sodium (ppm) None set <5
Specific Conductivity 700 (mhos/cm) 95
Organic Chemicals
Pesticides & PCBs***** Various n/d
Herbicides***** Various n/d
Volatile Organics (VOC)***** Various n/d
* MFL - results are Million Fibers greater than 10 microns/Liter. The MCL is 7
million fibers/liter that are longer than 10 microns.
** Maximum contaminant action level 1.3 ppm. Measurements at taps from
homes with copper pipes were 0.5 ppm or less.
*** Maximum contaminant action level 15 ppb. Measurements at taps from
homes with lead based solder were 3 ppb or less.
**** Water with less than 75 parts per million as calcium carbonate is considered
soft (42 ppm is equivalent to 2.5 grains/gal).
***** Includes 25 different pesticides and PCBs, 8 herbicides and 54 VOCs with a
variety of MCLs.
Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): 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 (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.
n/a: Not applicable
n/d: Not detectable at testing limit
ppm: Parts per million or milligrams per liter (mg/L). 1 ppm is
equivalent to 1 drop in 10 gallons.
ppb: Parts per billion or micrograms per liter (µg/L). 1 ppb is
equivalent to 1 drop in 10,000 gallons
NTU: Nephelometric Turbidity Units - a measure of the
cloudiness of the water.
Port Townsend has disinfected its drinking water
with chlorine since 1929. Chlorination, the
standard disinfectant for water systems around
the world, is the treatment that eliminated water-
borne diseases such as cholera and typhoid
fever from this country in the early part of this
century.
Chlorine reacts with naturally occurring organic
material in water, such as decaying leaves, to
produce chemicals called trihalomethanes, or
THMs. These disinfection byproducts include a
variety of compounds. Chloroform is one such
compound. Scientific research today concludes
these byproducts may, in the long-run, increase
a person's risk of cancer. Due to this potential
risk, THMs are regulated. State and federal
standards currently regulate the level of
disinfection byproducts to 80 parts per billion.
See the report for monitoring results.
DEFINITIONS:
CHLORINE DISINFECTION
More
Information
To comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act amendments, the City of Port Townsend is issuing an annual report on water
quality monitoring performed during the past year. The purpose of the report is to educate consumers about their drinking water
and the need to protect this precious resource.
REPORTING
City of Port Townsend
Department of Water Quality
5210 Kuhn St.
Port Townsend, WA 98368
The City of Port
Townsend=s water
meets or exceeds all
EPA and State drinking
water health standards.
We are happy to
answer any questions
you may have about
drinking water quality.
Please call the Port
Townsend Water
Quality Department at
379-5001