.
| Our Goal: Safe,
Dependable Drinking Water
LISECC
produced this report to conform to amendments of the Safe Drinking Water
Act requiring each community to provide customers with a comprehensive
annual report of the quality of their drinking water. We support this regulation
because we believe you should know.
This
report is a snapshot of the quality of the water that we provided last
year. The purpose of this report is to advance members' understanding of
drinking water and heighten awareness of the need to protect precious water
resources.
Our
water supply comes from groundwater contained by the Dickinson Lake Reservoir.
Water
treatment is the process of cleaning the water. Treatment makes the water
safe to drink because in nature, water is not always clean enough for humans
to use. The Wally Croy Treatment Plant uses a three-step process to provide
safe, clean drinking water to the members and guests of Lummi Island Scenic
Estates.
In
the first step, chemicals called alum (aluminum sulfate) and polymer are
added to the "raw water" in a unit called the reactor. Raw water is the
term used to describe untreated water. The alum and polymer make particles
like dirt, sediment, and other substances in the water coagulate, or stick
together. These particles clump together into larger particles called "floc."
In
the second step, the water leaves the reactor and enters a large tank through
an anthracite filter which captures the floc. The water then flows through
a multi-media filter. The filters are six feet deep and are made of layers
of sand, garnet, gravel and activated carbon. The filters are used to remove
any remaining particles in the water.
Chlorine
is added to the water in the final step to kill any germs and to keep it
safe in the distribution system as it travels to your tap. The “treated”
water moves into one of the two storage tanks at the top of Dogwood Terrace.
The water is stored in the tank for at least 24 hours prior to distribution.
This “contact” time allows the chlorine time to kill any remaining bacteria.
LISECC
has operators certified by the Washington Department of Health and are
trained or are in the process of being trained in all aspects of water
treatment. Each of our operators are required to complete continuing education
classes in order to maintain their certification and to keep up to date
on the latest information and technology used in water treatment.
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TEST
RESULTS
Out
of over 80 constituents ALL are below acceptable levels
and
only the those listed below are detected at all.
.
|
| Constituent |
MCL |
MCLG |
Level
Detected |
Likely
Source of Contamination |
| Chloride |
250
|
-
|
10
|
Erosion
of natural deposits |
| Sulfate |
250 |
- |
160 |
Erosion
of natural deposits |
| Sodium |
- |
- |
7.8 |
Erosion
of natural deposits |
| Hardness |
-
|
-
|
92
|
Erosion
of natural deposits |
| Total
Trihalomethanes (mg/L) |
100
|
n/a
|
37.2
|
By-product
of drinking water chlorination |
| Copper |
1.3 |
1.3 |
0.011 |
Erosion
of distribution pipes or home plumbing |
Key:
mg/L: milligrams per liter, ppm: parts per million, ppb: parts per billion,
NTU: Nephelometric Turbidity Units (a measure of water clarity)
Maximum
Contaminant Level (MCL): 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 (MCLG): 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.
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Health
Information
The
sources of drinking water (both tap and bottled water) include rivers,
lakes, streams, ponds, springs, reservoirs and wells. As water travels
over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves 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 runoff, industrial or domestic
wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming.
Pesticides
and herbicides which may 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.
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 water poses a health risk. More information
about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling
the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline: 1-800-426-4791 or www.epa.gov/OGWDW
In
order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the EPA and/or the Washington
State Board of Health prescribes regulations that limit the amount of certain
constituents in water provided by public water systems. Food and Drug Administration
and/or the Washington State Dept. of Agriculture regulations establish
limits for constituents in bottled water that must provide the same protection
for public health.
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/Centers
for Disease Control guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk
of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available
from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).
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For
More Information?
For
more information about the LISECC water system and treatment processes
contact Operations Manager John Graham at (360) 758-7055 or by email at
john@lisecc.com.
You
are encouraged to attend any of our regular Board Meetings. These meetings
are held on the third Sunday of each month at 9:30 a.m. The next scheduled
meeting is on July 17, 2005.
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