Drinking Water Quality Report
For the Year 2001
We’re pleased to present this year's Annual Water Quality Report. This report is designed to inform you about the quality water and services we deliver to you every day. Our constant goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water. We want you to understand the efforts we make to continually improve the water system and protect our water resources. The State of Alaska plans to provide a source water protection plan during 2002 and a copy will be available from our office at that time. We are committed to ensuring the quality of your water. Our water source is surface water from Blue Lake. Our back-up water source is surface water from Indian River.
If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility, please contact Environmental Superintendent, Mark Buggins; by E-mail at markb@cityofsitka.com or by phone at 966-2256. We want our valued customers to be informed about their water utility. Tours are given periodically. E-mail or call to be added to a tour list. The City and Borough of Sitka Assembly makes the ultimate decisions related to water treatment and quality, they meet the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at Harrigan Centennial Hall.
The Sitka Public Water System routinely monitors for contaminants in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws. The following tables show the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1st to December 31st, 2001. As water travels to the source, over the land or underground, it can pick up substances or contaminants such as microbes, inorganic and organic chemicals, and radioactive substances. All drinking water, including bottled drinking water, may be reasonably expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. It is important to remember that the presence of these contaminants does not necessarily pose a health risk. 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. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)/Center for Disease Control (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).
In the following tables you will find terms and abbreviations you might not be familiar with. To help you better understand these terms we have provided the following definitions:
Not Regulated (NR) - reporting this data is not required.
Not Applicable, Not Available (NA) - does not apply or is not available.
Non-Detects (ND) - laboratory analysis indicates that the contaminant is not present.
Method Reporting Limit (MRL) - the minimum concentration that can be measured.
Parts per million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter (mg/l) - corresponds to one part per million parts.
Parts per billion (ppb) or Micrograms per liter - corresponds to one part per billion parts.
Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU) - nephelometric turbidity unit is a measure of the clarity of water. Turbidity in excess of 5 NTU is just noticeable to the average person.
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” (MCG) 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.
Waivers have been obtained for many of the regulations pertaining to sampling and monitoring of our water system. The waivers were granted only after years of test results that were less than the MCLs. Since we have waivers for Synthetic Organic Contaminants, Asbestos, Organics/Pesticides, Inorganics and Dioxins; we did not test for them during the time period covered by this report. Previous monitoring results are available. Current results are listed in the tables below.
| 2001 TEST RESULTS | ||||||
| Contaminant | MCL Violation | Level Detected | Unit Measurement | MCLG | MCL | Likely source of contamination to the best of our present knowledge |
| Microbiological Contaminants | ||||||
| Total Coliform Bacteria | None | ND | Colonies per 100 ml | 0 | Note (1) | Naturally present in the environment |
| Turbidity | None | 2.20 Note (2) | NTU | NA | NA | Soil runoff, glacial silt |
| Note (1) presence of coliform bacteria in 5% of monthly samples
Note (2) highest monthly value was reported in the month of October 2001.
Total Coliform: Coliforms are bacteria that are used as an indicator that other, potentially-harmful, bacteria may be present. None were found. Turbidity: Turbidity has no health effects. However, turbidity can interfere with disinfection and provide a medium for microbial growth. Turbidity may indicate the presence of disease-causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches. Blue Lake’s turbidity is mostly inorganic in nature (glacial silt) and typically not associated with microbial contamination. |
||||||
| Inorganic Contaminants (Waiver except for Nitrate-N), (Fluoride is added daily for enhanced dental health) |
||||||
| Nitrate (as Nitrogen) | None | <MRL | ppm | 10 | 10 | Erosion of natural deposits, animal waste |
| Fluoride (Voluntary) | None | Avg 1.2 | ppm | 4.0 | 4.0 | Water treatment additive, natural deposits |
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. Note, that your drinking water nitrate level is far less than the MCL.
Fluoride: Some people who drink water containing fluoride in excess of the MCL over many years could get bone disease, including pain and tenderness of the bones. Children may get mottled teeth. Note, that your drinking water fluoride level is controlled to the recommended range of 1.1 to 1.7 ppm.