2001 Annual Water Quality Report

Ann Arbor Charter Township
Utilities Department

Bringing The Best To Our Customers...

The staff of the Ann Arbor Charter Township Utilities Department is strongly committed to bringing you the best drinking water possible. Security measures have been extensively reviewed and improved. We take pride in not only meeting all federal and state drinking water regulations, but in reaching higher goals. We participate in voluntary programs that improve our organization and establish more stringent water quality goals. Our monitoring programs far exceed those required to assure the quality of your drinking water. This brochure is a summary of the quality of water provided to our customers last year. It is record reflecting the hard work by our employees to bring you water that is absolutely safe.

Included are details and other important information about where your water comes from, what it contains and how it compares to standards set by regulatory agencies. We are committed to providing you with information about your water supply, because customers who are well informed are our best allies in supporting improvements necessary to maintain the highest drinking water standards.

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 and through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.

Ann Arbor Charter Township's source of drinking water is delivered by the City of Ann Arbor, and in turn Ann Arbor Charter Township delivers a portion of the water supply to Superior Charter Township. The City of Ann Arbor water supply is drawn from two sources. About 80% comes from the Huron River. The remaining 20% is from the Steere Farm wells south of Ann Arbor. The Montgomery well, which is located on the west side of Ann Arbor, was discontinued in early 2000 pending investigation of water quality concerns. The water from the sources is blended at the treatment plant. Since the City of Ann Arbor uses a surface supply, the United States EPA (USEPA) and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) regulations require it to be treated, filtered and disinfected to ensure that any harmful substances are removed.

Contaminants that may be present in source water - untreated water - include: microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria; inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals; pesticides and herbicides; organic chemical contaminants; including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals; and radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring. In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the 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.

Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least a small amount 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 Safe Drinking Water Hotline at: (800) 426-4791.

Water Quality Test Results:
The following regulated substances were detected in some samples:

This report is a summary of the quality of water provided to you last year. Included are details about what the water contains, and how it compares to standards set by regulatory agencies. Not listed are the hundreds of other contaminants for which we tested that were not detected.

Results were gathered from tests performed by the City of Ann Arbor Water Utilities certified lab.

Please note that some substances, such as monochloramine and fluoride, are added to the water to improve health. All the detected substances are well within stringent Federal and State limits.

Definition Key

AL Action Level: The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers a treatment or other requirement, which a water system must follow.

ALG Action Level Goal: the level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. ALG's allow for a margin of safety.

AVG Regulatory compliance with MCL is based on running annual of monthly samples.

MCL Maximum Contaminant Level: the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCL's are set as close to the MCLGs as fesible using the best available treatment technology.

MCLG Maximum Contaminant Level Goal: 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.

mg/l milligrams per liter or parts per million - or one ounce in 7,350 gallons of water.

g/l micrograms per liter or parts per billion - or one ounce in 7,350,000 gallons of water.

MRDL Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level: 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.

MRDLG Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal: 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

NTU Nephelometric Turbidity Unit: a measure of light scattered from particles in the water.

Turbidity A measure of cloudiness of water. The Ann Arbor Water Treatment staff monitors it because it is a good indicator of the effectiveness of the filtration system. Turbidity must be less than 0.5 NTU in at least 95% of the measurements taken throughout each month. It must never exceed 5.0 NTU. Upcoming regulations will lower these levels to 0.3 NTU and 1.0 NTU respectively.

TT Treatment Technique: a process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

Regulated at the Water Treatment Plant
Regulated Substance Highest Level Detected Range of Individual Samples MCL MCLG Source of Contamination
Fluoride 1.26 mg/l 0.19 - 1.26 mg/l 4 mg/l 4 mg/l Added to water to promote strong teeth. Erosion of natural deposits. Discharge from fertilizer factories
Nitrate 0.7 mg/l 0.2 - 0.7 mg/l 10 mg/l 10 mg/l Run-off from fertilizer use. Leaching from septic tanks. Sewage. Erosion of natural deposits
Nitrite 38 g/l 9 - 38 g/l 1000 g/l 1000 g/l Run-off from fertilizer use. Leaching from septic tanks. Sewage. Erosion of natural deposits
Barium 0.11 g/l na 2 mg/l 2 mg/l Natural deposits
Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate 3 g/l 0 - 3 g/l 6000 g/l 0 g/l Discharge from rubber and chemical factories

Turbidity - Regulated at the Water Treatment Plant
Regulated Element 95th Percentile TT achieved (max) 95th Percentile TT required 95th Percentile TT voluntary goal Lowest % of Samples within requirements Single highest measurement Source of Contamination
Turbidity 0.1 NTU 0.5 NTU 0.1 NTU 100% 0.2 NTU Soil Runoff

Regulated in the Distribution System
Regulated Substance Highest Level Detected Range of Individual Sample MCL MCGL Source of Contamination
Total Trihalomethanes 3 g/l avg. 1-7 g/l 100 g/l na By-product of drinking water chlorination
Water Quality Test Results
The following regulated substances were detected in some samples

Copper and Lead - Regulated at the Customer's Tap
No at-risk homes sampled exceeded the lead or copper action level. At-risk homes are defined by the USEPA as homes with copper plumbing installed between 1982 - 1988 using lead solder. Lead levels can easily be eliminated by flushing the cold water prior to use.
Regulated Substance Detection Level at the 90th Percentile AL ALG Source of Contamination
Copper - 2001 Customers Plumbing ? g/l 1300 g/l 1300 g/l Corrosion of household plumbing systems. Erosion of natural deposits
Lead - 2001 Customers Plumbing ? g/l 15 g/l 0 g/l Corrosion of household plumbing systems. Erosion of natural deposits

Effective 2002 - New Regulations by USEPA
Regulated Substance Highest Level Detected Range of Individual Samples MCL MCLG Source of Contamination
Bromate 6 g/l avg 4 - 7 g/l 10 g/l 0 g/l By-product of ozone disinfection of drinking water
Total Organic Carbon 38% Removal 38-62% Removal 25% Removal (TT) na Naturally occurring
Total Haloacetic Acids 9 g/l avg. 2 - 13 g/l 60 g/l (MCL) 0 g/l By-product of drinking water chlorination
Poorest removal corresponds to highest concentration

The tests also showed the following characteristics in our water. Federal and State standards have yet to be established and all are well within limits accepted by most public health officials.
Non-regulated Substance Average Range of Individual Samples Source of Contamination
Hardness 132 mg/l 99 - 169 mg/l Naturally occurring minerals, controlled by water treatment process
pH - acidity 9.3 9.2 - 9.4 Controlled by water treatment process
Cyanogen chloride 3.1 g/l 2.5 - 3.7 g/l By-product of drinking water chlorination
Haloacetonitriles, Haloketones, Chloropicrin 1.7 g/l 0 - 3.1 g/l By-product of drinking water chlorination
Aldehydes 9 g/l 0 - 33 g/l By-product of drinking water ozonation
Ammonia 0.07 mg/l 0.3 - 0.17 mg/l Naturally occurring, added to water to form disinfectant
Methyl t-butyl ether (MTBE) 0 mg/l 0 mg/l Gasoline additive
Monochloramine 3.0 mg/l 2.8 - 3.2 mg/l Disinfectant added at Water Plant
1,4-Dioxane 0 mg/l 0 mg/l Groundwater contamination from manufacturing process and landfills
Choral Hydrate 0 g/l 0 - 0.6 g/l By-product of drinking water ozonation
TOX (total organic halides) 71 g/l 0 - 180 g/l Naturally occurring in the environment

Unregulated contaminants are those for which the EPA has not established drinking water standards. The purpose of unregulated contaminant monitoring is to assist the EPA in determining the occurrence of unregulated contaminants in drinking water and whether future regulation is warranted. Only one unregulated contaminant was detected.
Non-regulated Substance Average Range of Individual Samples Source of Contamination
Sodium 47.3 mg/l 40.0 - 57.0 mg/l Naturally occurring mineral; runoff of road salt into surface water

If you have any questions about this report or would like to know anything further about your water and/or water utilities please feel free to call us:

Rick Judkins, Utilities Director
(734) 663-3418

In the event of an emergency, such as water main breaks, emergency water turn-offs and sanitary or storm sewer back-ups, please call:

AFTER HOURS EMERGENCY: (734) 663-0995

http://www.annarbortownship.org

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