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2005
Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
We're
pleased to present to you this year's Annual Drinking Water Quality
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. The sources of
drinking water (both tap water 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, can pick
up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human
activity. Our source is surface water from Norfork Lake.
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.
The Arkansas Department of Health & Human Services has completed a
Source Water Vulnerability Assessment for Mountain Home Water
Department. The assessment summarizes the potential for
contamination of our source of drinking water and can be used as a
basis for developing a source water protection plan. Based on the
various criteria of the assessment, our water source has been
determined to have a low susceptibility to contamination. You may
request a summary of the Source Water Vulnerability Assessment from
the Mountain Home Water Department Office.
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. 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.
In order to assure 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 (FDA)
regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which
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/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).
If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water
utility, please contact Michael Vincent, Water Plant Supervisor, at
870-492-5628. 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 and
third Thursdays of each month at 6:00 PM at the City Hall Building
located at 720 South Hickory.
Mountain Home Water Department routinely monitors for constituents
in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws. The test
results table shows the results of our monitoring for the period of
January 1st to December 31st, 2005. In the table you might find
terms and abbreviations you are not familiar with. To help you
better understand these terms we've provided the following
definitions:
Action Level - the concentration of a contaminant which, if
exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water
system must follow.
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.
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.
NA - not applicable
Nephelometric: Turbidity Unit (NTU) - a unit of measurement
for the clarity of water. Turbidity in excess of 5 NTU is just
noticeable to the average person.
Parts per million (ppm) - a unit of measurement for detected
levels of contaminants in drinking water. One part per
million corresponds to one minute in two years or a single penny in
$10,000.
Parts per billion (ppb) - a unit of measurement for detected
levels of contaminants in drinking water. One part per billion
corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years, or a single penny i1
$10,000,000.
CLICK HERE for test results
For more information or assistance, call
Alma Clark @ (870) 425-5115, or email
aclark@cityofmountainhome.com
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