Water Report

This report is designed to inform you about the quality of 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. Included are details about where your water comes from, what it contains, and how it compares to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state standards. If you detect problems or have a question contact City Hall at 509-639-2601, or feel free to attend a City Council meeting held on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 pm in the City Hall.

Sources of tap 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.

All drinking water, including bottled drinking water, may be reasonably expected to contain at least small amounts of some constituents. It's important to remember that the presence of these constituents 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. EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants, as well as contaminant information and potential health effects are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline 800-426-4791.

Contaminants that may be present in source water include: Microbial - such as viruses and bacteria which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations and wildlife; Inorganic - such as salts and metals, which can be naturally occurring or a result from urban storm water runoff, wastewater discharges, oil and gas production , mining or farming; Pesticides and Herbicides - may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture and residential uses; Radioactive - which are naturally occurring; and Organic Chemical - including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial process and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff, and septic systems.

Your drinking water comes from ground water by way of 3 wells. Well #2 is located north of Locust between 4th and 5th street, Well #3 is located in the alley near the fire hall between 2nd and 3rd street, and Well #4 is located at the Lions Club Park on 3rd street between Elm and Locust.

The Town of Almira routinely monitors for constituents in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws. This table shows the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1st to December 31st, 2001. The state requires us to monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of the contaminants are not expected to vary significantly from year to year. In this table 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:

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal - The "Goal" (MCLG) 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.

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.

State Reporting Level - (MRL) the minimum reporting level required by Washington Department of Health.

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

N/A - not applicable; nd - not detectable at testing limit; ppb - parts per billion or micrograms per liter; ppm - parts per million or milligrams per liter; pCi/l - picocuries per liter (a measure of radiation); NTU - nephelometric turbidity unit.

TEST RESULTS:
No detections received on the following tests: EDB/DBCP Well 2 Radionuclide Well 2 & 4 VOC Well4

Contaminant	Violation	Level Detected	Unit Measurement	MCLG	MCL	Likely Source of Contamination
Nitrate	No	.57	ppm	10	10	Runoff from fertilizer use; leaching from septic tanks, sewage; erosion of natural deposits
Manganese	No	.0508	ppm	.05	.05	Lack of use / Well#2
Iron	No	.3680	ppm	.30	.30	Lack of use / Well#2
Magnesium	No	16.90	ppm	.05	n-a	Lack of use / Well#2
Calcium	No	17.10	ppm	n-a	n-a	Lack of use / Well#2

No detections received on the following tests:
EDB/DBCP Well 2
Radionuclide Well 2 & 4
VOC Well 4