2001 Western District Drinking Water Quality Annual Report

We're pleased to present to you this year's Annual Quality Water 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 treatment process and protect our water resources. We are committed to ensuring the quality of your water. Our water sources are 3475 Kibby Rd, 565 Christopher Rd, 5920 S Jackson Rd. Our wells draw from marshal sandstone formation. The depths of the wells vary from 250 to 350 feet below the surface.

We are pleased to report that our drinking water is safe and meets federal and state requirements.

If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility, please contact Rick Faling at Summit Township Offices, 2121 Ferguson Road, Jackson, Michigan 49203 or call 517-788-4119 ext. 248. 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 second Tuesday of every month at 7:00 p.m. at the Summit Township Meeting Room, 2121 Ferguson Road Jackson, Michigan.

Summit Township routinely monitors for contaminants in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws. This table shows the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1^st to December 31^st, 1998. All drinking water, including bottled drinking water, may be reasonably expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. It's important to remember that the presence of these contaminants does not necessarily pose a health risk. The state allows us to monitor for certain contaminants less than annually. The most recent results of these tests are also included in the table.

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:

Parts per million (ppm) – one part per million corresponds to one minute in two years or a single penny in $10,000.

Parts per billion (ppb) – one part per billion corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000.

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

TEST RESULTS
Contaminant	Violation Y/N	Level Detected	Range	Unit Measurement	MCLG	MCL	Likely Source of Contamination
Copper	N	159	0 - 32*	ppb	1300	AL= 1300	Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits; leaching from wood preservatives
Fluoride	N	1.5	.8 - 1.3	ppm	4.0	4.0	Erosion of natural deposits; water additive which promotes strong teeth; discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories
Lead	N	3.8	0-32**	ppb	0	AL=15	Corrosion of household plumbing systems, erosion of natural deposits
Arsenic	N	4.5	1.3-4.5	ppb	n/a	10***	Erosion of natural deposits; Runoff from orchards; Runoff from glass and electronics production wastes
Alpha emitters	N	2.2	2.2	Pci/1	0	15	Erosion of natural deposits
Barium	N	.115	.065-.115	ppm	2	2	Discharge of drilling wastes; Discharge from metal refineries; Erosion of natural deposits
Sodium	N	18	7-37	ppm	n/a	n/a	Erosion of natural deposits
Max Potential Trihalomethanes	N	66	n/a	ppb	100	100	Byproduct of chlorination

* 0 out of 31 homes exceeded the action level.

** 3 out of 31 homes exceeded the action level.

Lead. Infants and children who drink water containing lead in excess of the action level could experience delays in their physical or mental development. Children could show slight deficits in attention span and learning abilities. Adults who drink this water over many years could develop kidney problems or high blood pressure.

Infants and young children are typically more vulnerable to lead in drinking water than the general population. It is possible that lead levels at your home may be higher than at other homes in the community as a result of materials used in your home’s plumbing. If you are concerned about elevated lead levels in your home’s water, you may wish to have your water tested and flush your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using tap water. Additional information is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).

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.

All sources of drinking water are subject to potential contamination by contaminants that are naturally occurring or manmade. Those contaminants can be microbes, organic or inorganic chemicals, or radioactive materials. 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. In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. Food and Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health. 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.

MCL’s are set at very stringent levels. To understand the possible health effects described for many regulated contaminants, 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.

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 our office if you have questions.

We at Summit Township work around the clock 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.