Winamac
Water Department
Dear
Winamac Water Customer,
We are pleased to present a summary of the quality
of the water provided to you during the past year. This report details where
our water comes from, what it contains, and the risks our water testing and
treatment are designed to prevent. The Winamac Water Department is committed to
providing you with the safest and most reliable water supply. Informed
consumers are our best allies in maintaining safe drinking water.
Winamac’s drinking
water meets all federal and state drinking water standards.
We encourage public interest and participation in
our community's decisions affecting drinking water. The Town Council has
regular meetings on the second Monday of each month at the Winamac Municipal
Utilities Complex at
Source Water
The Town of
EPA’s required language for
this report:
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, 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
stormwater 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
stormwater runoff, and residential uses.
• Organic chemical
contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are
byproducts of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban stormwater
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, EPA prescribes regulations that 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 that must provide the same protection for public health.
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).
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 microbial contaminants are
available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).
Important Definitions And Abbreviations:
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.
ND- Not Detected
pCi/l- Picocuries Per Liter A measure of radioactivity for radionuclides.
ppm- Part Per Million. Unit of measure
equal to 1 second in 12 days.
ppb- Part Per Billion. Unit of measure equal to 1
second in 32 years.
Most regulated and unregulated substances monitored by the EPA are not detected in Winamac’s drinking water. IDEM allows us to monitor for some substances less than once per year because the concentrations are not likely to change. The following chart shows the minimum and maximum amount of all substances that were detected in the most recent tests. Note that the substances that were detected were well below the MCLs.
|
Regulated |
Amount |
|
|
|
Major Sources In |
|
Substances |
Detected |
Violation |
MCL |
MCLG |
Drinking Water |
|
Fluoride |
.7
to 1.84 ppm |
NO |
4.0 ppm |
4.0 ppm |
Water additive that promotes strong teeth. |
|
Trihalomethanes Total |
36.9 ppb |
NO |
80 ppb |
|
Byproduct of drinking water chlorination. |
|
Lead 2006 |
90% of homes tested had less than 2.3 ppb |
NO |
|
0 ppb |
Corrosion of household plumbing. Erosion
of natural deposits. |
|
Copper 2006 |
90% of homes tested had less than .099 ppm |
NO |
|
1.3 ppm |
Corrosion of household plumbing. Erosion
of natural deposits |
|
Barium |
0.115 ppm min 0.11 max 0.12 |
NO |
2.0 ppm |
2.0 ppm |
Erosion of natural deposits. |
|
Radium-228 2004 |
0.2 pCi/l min ND max 0.7 |
NO |
5.0 pCi/l |
0 pCi/l |
Erosion of natural deposits. |
|
Unregulated Substances |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sodium |
27.0 ppm |
NO |
Unregulated |
|
Erosion of natural deposits |
|
Sulfate |
18.0 ppm |
NO |
Unregulated |
|
|