Consumer Confidence Report

2009S

Annual Drinking Water Quality Report   S

City of Othello 

Traducción disponible del Informe de Calidad del Agua. 

Este Informe contiene información muy importante sobre el sistema de agua del pueblo. La información esta disponible en español en la municipalidad.

 The City Of Othello, as well as all water providers, are required by the Department of Health, to send you their annual drinking water quality report. The City of Othello Water Department provides a safe and dependable supply of drinking water that meets or exceeds all federal and state requirements. The City of Othello is served by seven wells. All seven of the wells pump water from the Wanapum Aquifer. Pumped water is fed directly into the distribution system. Water is stored in three tower reservoirs within the City. Full volume capacity totals about six million gallons. Pressure throughout the distribution system is the result of the height of the water in the reservoirs. The storage volume provides protection against fire, power outages, high water use periods, and whether the pumps can meet the demand on the system.  If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility, please contact:

The City of Othello owns the City of Othello Water Department. The Department is responsible to the Mayor and City Council. The Mayor and City Council meet regularly on the 2^nd and 4^th Mondays of each month at 7:00 p.m. You are welcome to attend these meetings. The City of Othello routinely monitors for constituents (listed below) in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws. Table 1 shows the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1^st to December 31^st, 2008. All drinking water, including bottled drinking water, may be reasonably expected to contain at least small amounts of some constituents. It is important to remember that the presence of these constituents does not necessarily pose a health risk.  Below are several categories and some of the constituents that each category may include: S  Microbiological: E. Coli, Giardia, and Cryptosporidium.S  Radioactive Contaminants: beta and alpha emitters and radium.S  Inorganic Contaminants: arsenic, asbestos, chromium, copper, lead, fluoride and nitrate.S  Synthetic Organic Contaminants: pesticides and herbicides.S  Volatile Organic Contaminants: benzene, carbon tetrachloride and trihalomethanes. In Table 1, 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: 

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.  Other comparisons are:  This is equivalent to one drop of water diluted into approximately the fuel tank capacity of a compact car, or about thirty seconds out of a year. 

Parts per billion (ppb) or Micrograms per liter - one part per billion corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000. Other examples are:  This is equivalent to 1 drop of water diluted into 250 drums or about three seconds out of 100 years.   

Action Level - the concentration of a contaminant, which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements, which a water system must follow. 

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 which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.  

Inorganic Contaminants: (3) Nitrate. Infants below the age of six months who drink water containing nitrate in excess of the MCL could become seriously ill and, if untreated, may die. Symptoms include shortness of breath and blue-baby syndrome. As you can see by the table, our system had no violations.  We’re proud that your drinking water meets or exceeds all Federal and State requirements. We have learned through our monitoring and testing that some constituents have been detected. The EPA has determined that your water IS SAFE at these levels. We constantly monitor for various constituents in the water supply to meet all regulatory requirements.  MCL’s are set at very stringent levels. To understand the possible health effects described for many regulated constituents, 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. 

Total Coliform: The Total Coliform Rule requires water systems to meet a stricter limit for coliform bacteria. Coliform bacteria are usually harmless, but their presence in water can be an indication of disease-causing bacteria. When coliform bacteria are found, special follow-up tests are done to determine if harmful bacteria are present in the water supply. If this limit is exceeded, the water supplier must notify the public by newspaper, television or radio. To comply with the stricter regulations, we have increased the average amount of chlorine in the distribution system. 

Nitrates: Nitrate in drinking water at levels above 10 ppm is a health risk for infants of less than six months of age. High nitrate levels in drinking water can cause blue baby syndrome. Nitrate levels may rise quickly for short periods of time because of rainfall or agricultural activity. If you are caring for an infant you should ask advice from your health care provider.  The city is required to process the test for Nitrates quarterly for source 2, (well #3), yearly for source 9 (well #8) and for all other wells the test is required every 3 years.  As a precaution we would always notify physicians and health care providers in this area if there is ever a higher than normal level of nitrates in the water supply. Cadmium:  Sources for cadmium are found in natural deposits as ores containing other elements.  As you can see by the above chart the city was not above the maximum contaminate level for the average of the tests that were complete.   

Trihalomethanes (TTHM) & Haloacetic Acid (HAA5):  The tests for TTHM and HAA5 are done on well systems that use chlorination products for well disinfection.   The tests must be done during the warmest part of the year, sometime between July and October.  The Department of Health states that if the TTHM test results averaged 20 ug/l or less and the HAA5 test results averaged 15 ug/l or less then the City of Othello is not required to test our water until the year 2010.  Our 2007 average test results for the TTHM was 6.98 and the HAA5 test was 0.44, both of which were way below the requirement for re-testing our water this year.  We will not be processing this test again until 2010. All 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 at 1-800-426-4791. Thank you for allowing us to continue providing your family with clean, quality water this year. In order to maintain a safe and dependable water supply we sometimes need to make improvements that will benefit all of our customers. These improvements are sometimes reflected as rate structure adjustments.  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 (800-426-4791).  Please call Public Works @ 488-6997 or City Hall @ 488-5686 if you have questions. 

We at the City of Othello Water Department work around the clock to provide top quality water to every tap. We ask that all of our customers help us protect our water sources, which are the heart of our community, our way of life and our children’s future.