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Home My WebLink About20132013PortTownsend AnnualDrinkingWaterReport WaterSources QuilceneRivers (Source # 01and02) inthenortheastcorneroftheOlympicNationalForest. Waterisstoredin LordsLakeandCityLakeReservoirs. Aswithallsurfacewatersources, theWashingtonDepartmentofHealth continuetocooperateinajointefforttomanageandprotectthemunicipalwatershedtomaintainhighquality drinkingwateraswehaveforthepast85years. SystemOperationandTreatment Afterinspectingthewatershedandreviewingcontrolmeasuresin2013, theWashingtonStateDepartmentofHealth DOH) notifiedtheCitythatthewatersystemdoesnothaveanadequatelevelofwatershedcontrol. Whilewater qualityhasnotchanged, theDepartmentofHealthhasdeterminedthatthewatershedcontrolprogramdoesnotmeet currentdepartmentexpectationsformanagingpublicaccesswithinthemunicipalwatershed. Fordrinkingwater regulatorypurposes, thewatersystemisconsideredtobeoutoftreatmentcompliance. Chlorinedisinfection continuestoprovideprotectionfrommicrobialcontaminants, whichgenerallyismorethanadequate. Inadequatelytreatedwatermaycontaindisease-causingorganisms. Theseorganismsincludebacteria, viruses, andparasitesthatcancausesymptomssuchas, nausea, cramps, diarrhea, andassociatedheadaches. OurwatersystemisoperatedandmaintainedbytrainedpersonnelcertifiedbytheState. Waterqualitysampling resultsareforthemonitoringperformedJanuary1 December31, 2013. Drinkingwaterqualitycontinuestomeet orexceedallfederalandstatehealthstandards. TheDOHhasevaluatedandplaced PortTownsendinagreen operatingstatus, whichrepresentsthatthewatersystemissubstantiallyincompliancewithapplicabledrinking waterrequirements. FutureWaterTreatment TheCityisworkingtowardsbuildinganewwaterfiltrationtreatment Cryptosporidiumfacilityinordertoensureadequatetreatmentfor , a microscopicparasitethatisresistanttochlorinetreatment. Pilottesting ofthreedifferentmembranefiltrationsystemsbeganinFebruary2014. Oneofthefiltrationsystemswillbeselectedthissummer for incorporationinthenewwatertreatmentplant. Thetreatmentplantis plannedtobeoperationalbythefallof2016. Chlorinewillcontinueto be disinfectantresidualthroughoutthedistributionsystem. WaterUseEfficiencyReport Efficientwaterusebenefitstheenvironment, watersystemoperations, andourcustomersbymaintainingmorewaterinthestreamsand loweringoperatingcosts. Lastyearanaverageof971,000gallonsof waterperdaywasdeliveredto9,900customersaswellasthousandsof visitors. TotalCityconsumptionwas354 milliongallonswith residentialconsumptionaveraging60gallonsperpersonperday. Ofthetotalconsumption, 9.6% or34milliongallonswasunaccounted forbycustomermetersorothermeasurement, whilethe3yearaverage losswas7%. Unaccountedforwaterislostthroughsuchthingsas Membranefilterpilottesting under-registeringmeters, useoffirehydrants, andleakingundergroundpipes. PortTownsendhasanongoingleak detectionprogramtoinspectthewatersystemforleakstoreduceunaccountedforwater. During2013, approximately10milesofdistributionsystempipingweresurveyedforleaks. PotentialContaminants Drinkingwater, includingbottledwater, mayreasonablybeexpectedtocontainatleastsmallamountsofsome contaminants. Thepresenceofcontaminantsdoesnotnecessarilyindicatethatwaterposesahealthrisk. More WaterHotline (1-800-426-4791). Thesourcesofdrinkingwater (bothtapwaterandbottledwater) includerivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, andwells. Aswatertravelsoverthesurfaceofthelandorthroughtheground, itdissolvesnaturally occurringmineralsand, insomecases, radioactivematerial, andcanpickupsubstancesresultingfromthepresence ofanimalsorfromhumanactivity. Contaminantsthatmaybepresentinsourcewaterinclude: Microbialcontaminantssuchasviruses, protozoans, andbacteria, whichmaycomefromwildlife, peopleand petsvisitingthewatershed. Inorganiccontaminantssuchassaltsandmetals, whichcanbenaturallyoccurring. Pesticidesandherbicideswhichmaycomefromsourcessuchasforestrymanagement. Organicchemicalcontaminantsincludingsyntheticandvolatileorganicchemicals, whichcancomefrom vehiclesinthewatershedorthatresultfromchlorinecombiningwithnaturallyoccurringorganicmatter. Somepeoplemaybemorevulnerabletocontaminantsindrinkingwaterthanthegeneralpopulation. Immuno-compromisedpersonssuchaspersonswithcancerundergoingchemotherapy, personswhohave undergoneorgantransplants, peoplewithHIV/AIDSorotherimmunesystemdisorders, someelderly, and infantscanbeparticularlyatriskfrominfections. Thesepeopleshouldseekadviceaboutdrinkingwaterfrom theirhealthcareproviders. EPA/CDCguidelinesonappropriatemeanstolessentheriskofinfectionby CryptosporidiumandothermicrobialcontaminantsareavailablefromtheSafeDrinkingWater Hotline 1-800-426-4791). Inordertoensuretapwaterissafetodrink, theDepartmentofHealthandEPAprescriberegulationsthatlimitthe amountofcertaincontaminantsinwaterprovidedbypublicwatersystems. FoodandDrugAdministration (FDA) andtheWashingtonDepartmentofAgricultureregulationsestablishlimitsforcontaminantsinbottledwater, which mustprovidethesameprotectionforpublichealth. WhiletheCitytestsformorethaneightydifferent contaminants, thesubstanceslistedinthefollowingtablesaretheonlyonesdetectedinourdrinkingwater. Samplingforcertaincontaminantsoccurslessthanonceperyearbecauseconcentrationsofthesecontaminantsare notexpectedtovarysignificantlyfromyeartoyear. Alldatashownwerecollectedduringthelastcalendaryear unlessotherwisenotedinthetables. PortTownsendAnnualWaterQualityAnalysis Inorganic Port Rangeof Year Meets TypicalSourceofConstituentsMCLMCLGTownsendDetectionsSampledStandardsContaminantSourceWater)Water ErosionofnaturalBarium (ppm) 2 2 0.003 Onesample 2013 Yes deposits SomepeoplewhodrinkwatercontainingbariuminexcessoftheMCLovermanyyearscouldexperiencean increaseintheirbloodpressure. Publicwatersystemsmustmonitorforleadandcopperlevelsindrinkingwater. Unlikeothercontaminants, lead andcopperdonotcommonlyoccurinsourcewaterbutresultfromcorrosionofbuildingplumbing, faucets, and waterfixtures. Monitoringisusedtodetermineifthewatersystemisdistributingcorrosivewater. Regulatory complianceisbasedonwatersamplesfromanumberofrepresentativehomesmostvulnerabletoleadandcopper corrosion, generally, thosebuiltbetween1982and1987withcopperpipes. Numberofth90 Year Meets TypicalSourceofResidentialTestingMCLMCLGSamplesPercentileSampledStandardsContaminantExceedingAL CorrosionofhouseholdCopper (ppm) AL=1.3 0 0.69 0of20 2013 Yes plumbingsystems CorrosionofhouseholdLead (ppb) AL=15 0 7 1of20 2013 Yes plumbingsystems Ifpresent, elevatedlevelsofleadcancauseserioushealthproblems, especiallyforpregnantwomenandyoung children. Leadindrinkingwaterisprimarilyfrommaterialsandcomponentsassociatedwithservicelinesand homeplumbing. PortTownsendisresponsibleforprovidinghighqualitydrinkingwater, butcannotcontrol thevarietyofmaterialsusedinplumbingcomponents. Whenyourwaterhasbeensittingforseveralhours, you canminimizethepotentialforleadexposurebyflushingyourtapforthirtysecondstotwominutesbeforeusing waterfordrinkingorcooking. Ifyouareconcernedaboutleadinyourwater, youmaywishtohaveyourwater tested. Informationonleadindrinkingwater, testingmethods, andstepsyoucantaketominimizeexposureis availablefromtheSafeDrinkingWaterHotlineorathttp://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead. Copperisanessentialnutrient, butsomepeoplewhodrinkwatercontainingcopperinexcessoftheactionlevel overarelativelyshortperiodoftimecouldexperiencegastrointestinaldistress. Somepeoplewhodrinkwater containingcopperinexcessoftheactionlevelovermanyyearscouldsufferliverorkidneydamage. People seaseshouldconsulttheirpersonaldoctor. MeetsDisinfectionRangeof TypicalSourceofMCLMCLGTestingFrequencyConstituentsDetectionsContaminantStandards WateradditiveusedtoChlorine (ppm) MRDL=4 MRDLG=4 0.15-1.35 Continuous Yes controlmicrobes By-productofdrinkingHaloaceticAcids60NA22.0-24.4 Onceayear Yes waterHAAs) (ppb) chlorination TotalOrganic NaturallypresentintheNAND-1.35 Quarterly NATTCarbon (mg/L) environment Total Onceayear/ By-productofdrinkingTrihalomethanes80NA25.3-34.5 Yes waterQuarterlystartinginOct. TTHMs) (ppb) chlorination Chlorineisusedformicrobiologicaldisinfectionofthedrinkingwater. Somepeoplewhousewatercontaining chlorinewellinexcessoftheMRDLcouldexperienceirritatingeffectstotheireyesandnose. Somepeople whodrinkwatercontainingchlorinewellinexcessoftheMRDLcouldexperiencestomachdiscomfort. Totalorganiccarbon (TOC) hasnohealtheffects. However, totalorganiccarbonprovidesamediumforthe formationofdisinfectionbyproducts. Thesebyproductsincludetrihalomethanes (THMs) andhaloaceticacids HAAs). DrinkingwatercontainingthesebyproductsinexcessoftheMCLmayleadtoadversehealtheffects, liverorkidneyproblems, ornervoussystemeffectsandmayleadtoanincreasedriskofgettingcancer. SomepeoplewhodrinkwatercontainingtrihalomethanesinexcessoftheMCLovermanyyearsmay experienceproblemswithliver, kidneys, orcentralnervoussystems, andmayhaveanincreasedriskofgetting cancer. SomepeoplewhodrinkwatercontaininghaloaceticacidsinexcessoftheMCLovermanyyearsmayhavean increasedriskofgettingcancer. TestingFrequencyMicrobiologicalRangeof Meets TypicalSourceofMCLMCLGConstituentsDetectionsStandardsContaminant Turbidity (NTU) TT = 5 0 0.19-2.82 Continuous Yes Soilrunoff Turbidityisameasureofthecloudinessofthewater. Wemonitoritbecauseitisagoodindicatorofwater quality. Highturbiditycanhindertheeffectivenessofdisinfectants. Definitions ActionLevel (AL): Theconcentrationofacontaminantwhich, whenexceeded, triggerstreatmentorother requirementswhichawatersystemmustfollow. LeadandCopper90thPercentile: Outofevery10homessampled, 9wereatorbelowthislevel. MaximumContaminantLevel (MCL): Thehighestlevelofacontaminantthatisallowedindrinkingwater. MCLsaresetasclosetotheMCLGsasfeasibleusingthebestavailabletreatmenttechnology. MaximumContaminantLevelGoal (MCLG): Thelevelofacontaminantindrinkingwaterbelowwhichthereis noknownorexpectedrisktohealth. MCLGsallowforamarginofsafety. MaximumResidualDisinfectantLevel (MRDL): Thehighestlevelofadisinfectantallowedindrinkingwater. Thereisconvincingevidencethatadditionofadisinfectantisnecessaryforcontrolofmicrobialcontaminants. MaximumResidualDisinfectantLevelGoal (MRDLG): Thelevelofadrinkingwaterdisinfectantbelowwhich thereisnoknownorexpectedrisktohealth. MRDLGsdonotreflectthebenefitsoftheuseofdisinfectantsto controlmicrobialcontaminants. NA: NotApplicable ND: NotDetectedorbelowStateReportingLimit. NTU: NephelometricTurbidityUnits - ameasureofthecloudinessofthewater. ppb: Partsperbillionormicrogramsperliter (µg/L). ppm: Partspermillionormilligramsperliter (mg/L). TreatmentTechnique (TT): Arequiredprocessintendedtoreducethelevelofacontaminantindrinkingwater. PublicComment ThepublicisinvitedtoparticipateindecisionsthataffectdrinkingwaterthroughcommenttothePortTownsend CityCouncil. InformationaboutscheduledmeetingsisavailablethroughtheCityAdministrationOffice 379-http://www.cityofpt.us/calendar/events.asp?action=week&calendar=1. Ifyou haveanyadditionalquestionsaboutthedrinkingwaterorwouldlikeacompletelistofsubstanceswetestforplease callIanJablonskiatthePortTownsendDepartmentofWaterQuality (379-5001). Informationisalsoavailableon http://www.cityofpt.us/waterquality.htm. WatershedProtection TheBigandLittleQuilceneRivermunicipalwatershedsarelocatedwithintheOlympicNationalForest. Approximately80milesofroadsand25milesoftrailsprovidepublicaccessforavarietyofrecreationaluses includinghiking, horsebackriding, camping, hunting, fishingandbiking. Whilethetreesandforestdoagreatjobofkeepingourdrinkingwatercleanandsafe, ifyouarerecreatinginthe NationalForest, particularlythemunicipalwatershed, pleasedoyourparttohelpprotectourdrinkingwaterby followingthesefewsimple Packoutwhateverwasbroughtinincludingallleftoverfood, trashandhygieneproducts. Thereareno trashreceptaclesorpickupwithinthemunicipalwatershed; Doallbathinganddishwashingatleast200feetfromwatersourceswithbiodegradablesoap; Usethevaulttoiletsifavailableotherwiseburyhumanandpetwaste6to8inchesdeepandatleast200 feetfromwatersources; Protectriparianareasbycampingatleast200feetfromlakesandstreams; Ensureanimalfeedisweedfree. PleasereportallillegaldumpingtotheForestServiceHoodCanalRangerStation360-765-2200.