2015 DRINKING WATER QUALITY REPORT CITY OF LINTON, NORTH DAKOTA

We’re very pleased to provide you with this year’s “Annual Drinking Water Quality Report.” We want to keep you informed about the excellent water and services we have delivered to you over the past year. Our goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water. Our water source is surface water from the Missouri River in Emmons County.

The City of Linton is involved in North Dakota’s Wellhead Protection Program. A copy of the Wellhead Protection Plan along with other relevant information is available from our office during normal business hours. The ND Dept. of Health has prepared a Source Water Assessment for the City of Linton. Information on this program is also available to the public during normal business hours.

Our public water system, in cooperation with the North Dakota Department of Health, has completed the delineation and contaminant/land use inventory elements of the North Dakota Source Water Protection Program. Based on the information from these elements, the North Dakota Department of Health has determined that our source water is “susceptible” to potential contaminants.

If you have any questions regarding this report or concerning your water utility, please contact Robert Job at 701-254-4460.  We want our valued customers to be informed about their water utility.  If you want to learn more, please attend any of our regularly scheduled meetings. They are held on the first Monday of each month, September through March at 6:00pm, and April through August at 5:00pm  at Linton City Hall.  If attendance is desired, please call the office in advance, for further information. If you are aware of non-English speaking individuals who need help with the appropriate language translation, please call the office at the number listed  above.

The City of Linton would appreciate it if large volume water customers would please post copies of the “Annual Drinking Water Quality Report” in conspicuous locations or distribute them to tenants, residents, patients, students, and/or employees, so individuals who consume the water, but do not receive a water bill can learn about our water system.

The City of Linton routinely monitors for contaminants in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws. The following table shows the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1st to December 31st, 2015.   As authorized and approved by the EPA, the State has reduced monitoring requirements for certain contaminants to less often than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants are not expected to vary significantly from year to year. Some of the data [e.g. for inorganic contaminant], though representative, is more than one year old.

The sources of drinking water (both 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.

Contaminants  that may be present in source water include:

Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations and wildlife.

Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or result from urban storm water, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil production, mining or farming.

Pesticides and herbicides, which  come  from  a  variety  of sources  such  as agriculture,  urban storm  water  runoff  and residential uses.

Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can, also, come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff and septic systems.

Radioactive contaminants,  which  can  be  naturally-occurring  or  be the  result  of  oil  and  gas  production  and  mining activities.

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems.

The  Food  and  Drug  Administration  (FDA)  regulations  establish  limits for contaminants  in bottled  water  which  must provide the same protection for public health.

In the following 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:

Not applicable (NA), No Detect (ND)

Parts per million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter (mg/1) - one part per million corresponds to one minute in two years or a single penny in $10,000.

Parts per billion (ppb) or Micrograms per liter (mg/l) - one part per billion corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000.

Picocuries per liter (pCi/l) -Pico curies per liter is a measure of the radioactivity in water.

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” (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 Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL) - The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG) - The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected  risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.

Surface Water Treatment Rule Monitoring Data:

Lowest Monthly Percentage of Samples Meeting Turbidity Limits= 1 00

Highest Single Measurement= 0.149

*If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. The City of Linton is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components.  Use water from the cold tap for drinking and cooking.  When your  water  has  been  sitting for  several  hours, you  can  minimize  the  potential for  lead exposure by flushing your  tap  for 30 seconds  to 2 minutes  before  using water  for  drinking or cooking.  If you are concerned about lead in your drinking water, you may wish to have your water tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

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 (1-800-426-4791).

Unregulated contaminants are those for which EPA has not established drinking water standards. The purpose of  unregulated  contaminant   monitoring   is  to  assist  EPA  in  determining   the  occurrence  of  unregulated contaminants in drinking water and whether future regulation is warranted.

In  our  continuing  efforts  to  maintain  a  safe  and  dependable  water  supply  it  may  be  necessary  to  make improvements  in your water system. The costs of these improvements may be reflected in the rate structure. Rate adjustments may be necessary in order to address these improvements.

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 (1-800-426-4791).

The City of Linton works diligently to provide top quality water to every tap. We ask that all our customers help us protect our water sources, which are the heart of our community, our way of life and our children’s future.

Please contact our office if you have questions.