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Vital facts about
<br />a vit,al resource
<br />
<br />Water is such a vital part of our daily
<br />lives it's easy to take for granted ho~v
<br />much we depend on it, Did you know:
<br />
<br />About 80% of the earth's surface is
<br />covered by water, but only about 1%
<br />is suitable for drinking.
<br />
<br />A person needs about 2-1/2 quarts c
<br />water per da), from food and liquid
<br />sources to maintain good health.
<br />
<br />A person can live without food mor~
<br />than a month, but can survive a wee
<br />or less without water~
<br />
<br />A five minute shower draws betweei
<br />13 and 50 gallons of water, dependir
<br />on showerhead design.
<br />
<br />If you let the faucet run, you'll use
<br />two gallons of water in the time it
<br />takes to brush your teeth.
<br />
<br />The average household consumes
<br />107,000 gallons of water per year.
<br />
<br />The average person uses 100 gallons
<br />of water per day~
<br />
<br />Elk River use§ ab6ut 1.1 million
<br />gallons of water p~ day, with a peak
<br />of 5.5 million gaii°n$ per day. This
<br />increase is caused by- customers wale
<br />ing lawns on hot summer days.
<br />
<br />In the table that follows are'the unregulated con-
<br />taminants that are detected.
<br />
<br />ContaminantLevel Found Typical Source of contaminant
<br /> Range Avg./
<br /> Result
<br />Sulfate 5.0-16.0 PPM Erosion of natural deposits.
<br />Sodium 2.7-3.7 PPM Erosion of nalural deposits.
<br />
<br /> As you can see by the table, our system had no
<br />violations. We're proud that your drinking water
<br />meets or exceeds all Federal and State requirements.
<br />We have learned through our monitoring and testing
<br />that some constituents have been detected. The EPA
<br />has determined that your water is safe at these lev-
<br />els.
<br /> The sources of drinking water (both tap water
<br />and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams,
<br />ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water trav-
<br />els over the surface of the land or through the
<br />ground, it dissolves naturally-occurring minerals
<br />and, in some cases, radioactive material, and can
<br />pick up substances resulting from the presence of
<br />animals or froln human activity.
<br />
<br />Contaminants that may be present in source water
<br />include:
<br /> Mictvbial contaminants, such as viruses and
<br />bacteria, which may come fi'om sewage treatmen!
<br />plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock opera-
<br />lions, and wildlife.
<br /> Ittot'g~ltlic contaminants, snch as salts and nle[-
<br />als, which can be naturally-occurring or result from
<br />urban stormwaler runoff', industrial or domestic
<br />wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, lniu-
<br />tug, or farming.
<br /> Pesticides and herbicides, which may colne
<br />fi'Oln a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban
<br />stormwater runoff', and residential uses.
<br /> Organic chemical contaminants, including syn-
<br />thetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-
<br />products of industrial processes and petroleum pro-
<br />duction, and can also come from gas stations, urban
<br />stormwater runoff, and septic systems.
<br /> Radioaetive contaminants, which can be natural-
<br />ly-occurring or be the result of oil and gas produc-
<br />tion and mining activities.
<br />
<br /> In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink,
<br />the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
<br />prescribes regulations which limit the amount of
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<br />
<br />certain contaminants in water provided by public
<br />water systems. Food and Drug Administration regu-
<br />lations establish limits for contaminants in bottled
<br />water which must provide the same protection for
<br />public health.
<br /> Drinking water, including bottled water, may
<br />reasonably be expected to contain at least small
<br />amounts of some contaminants. The presence of
<br />contaminants does not necessarily indicate that
<br />water poses a health risk. More information about
<br />contaminants and potential health effects can be
<br />obtained by calling the Environmental Protection
<br />Agency's Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-
<br />4791.
<br />
<br />Thank you for allowing us to continue providing
<br />your family with clean, quality water this year. In
<br />
<br />order to mmntain a safe and dependable water sup-
<br />ply we sometimes need to make ilnprovements that
<br />will benefit all of our customers. These improve-
<br />ments are someti~nes rellected as rate structure
<br />adjustments. Thank you for understanding.
<br /> Some people may be more vnlnerable to con-
<br />taminants in drinking water than the general popula-
<br />tion. Imnmno-compromised persons such as persons
<br />with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who
<br />have undergone organ transplants, people with
<br />HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some
<br />elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from
<br />infections. These people should seek advice about
<br />drinking water from their health care providers.
<br />EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to
<br />lessen the risk of infection by cryptosporidium and
<br />other microbiological contaminants are available
<br />from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-
<br />4791).
<br /> Please call our office if you have questions.
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