Public Water System ID # AK 2340010
Nome
Joint Utility System is pleased to present to you this year’s Annual Water
Quality Report. It 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 source is the Moonlight Springs aquifer which is classified as a ground
water source. Water to the community is
provided by three artesian wells located north of the Nome-Beltz
High School at the base of Anvil Mountain. These wells are capable of
adequately supplying Nome’s year-round water needs. The infiltration gallery previously used is
no longer connected to our distribution system; however, this could be
reactivated in the event of an emergency and is available to provide an
additional source of fire fighting water to the facilities in the vicinity of
the high school.
This report
shows our water quality and what it means.
Nome
Joint Utility System routinely monitors for constituents in your drinking water
according to Federal and State laws.
This table shows the results of our monitoring for the period January 1
to December 31, 2011. As water travels
over the land or underground, it can pick up substances or contaminants such as
microbes, inorganic and organic chemicals, and radioactive substances. All drinking water, including bottled
drinking water, may be reasonably expected to contain at least small amounts of
some constituents. It is important to
remember that the presence of these constituents does not necessarily pose a
health risk.
TEST
RESULTS |
|||||||
Contaminant |
Violation Y/N |
Level Detected |
Unit
of Measurement |
MCLG |
MCL |
Year Tested |
Likely
source of contamination |
Inorganic Chemicals |
|||||||
Arsenic |
N |
0.4300 |
ppb |
0 |
10 |
2008 |
Erosion
of natural deposits; runoff from production
wastes |
Copper |
N |
120 |
ppb |
1300 |
AL=1300 |
2011 |
Corrosion
of household plumbing systems; erosion
of natural deposits |
Lead |
N |
4.53 |
ppb |
0 |
AL=15 |
2011 |
Corrosion
of household plumbing systems; erosion
of natural deposits |
Nitrate [measured as Nitrogen] |
N |
.201 |
ppm |
10 |
10 |
2011 |
Runoff from fertilizer use; Leaching from septic tanks, sewage; Erosion of natural deposits |
Radionuclides |
|||||||
Alpha
Particles |
N |
1.7 |
pCi/L |
N/A |
15 |
2007 |
Erosion
of natural deposits |
Combined
Uranium |
N |
0.4 |
ppb |
N/A |
30 |
2007 |
Erosion
of natural deposits |
Radium
226 |
N |
0.18 |
pCi/L |
N/A |
5 |
2007 |
Erosion
of natural deposits |
Radium
228 |
N |
0.7 |
pCi/L |
N/A |
5 |
2007 |
Erosion
of natural deposits |
Disinfection
Byproducts |
|||||||
TTHM |
N |
<MRL |
ppb |
N/A |
80 |
2011 |
Disinfection
Byproducts |
HAA5 |
N |
0.00 |
ppb |
60 |
2011 |
Disinfection
Byproducts |
In this
table you will find many terms and abbreviations you might not be familiar
with. To help you better understand
these terms we have provided the following definitions:
DEFINITIONS:
Non-Detects (ND) - laboratory analysis indicates that the constituent is not
present.
Parts per million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter (mg/l) - one part per million
corresponds to one minute in two years or a single penny in $10,000.
Parts per billion (ppb) or Micrograms per liter - one part per billion corresponds
to one minute in 2,000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000.
Picocuries per liter (pCi/L) - picocuries per liter is a measure of the radioactivity in
water.
Action Level (AL) - the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded,
triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.
Treatment Technique (TT) - A treatment technique is a required process intended to
reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.
Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) - 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
(MCLG) - 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.
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.
Method Reporting Limits (MRL)-
the lowest concentration that can be reliably
reported under current laboratory operating conditions.
Source
water assessment and its availability:
Source water assessments have been
completed by the ADEC as a first step toward voluntary local source water
protection efforts. Vulnerability
rankings are assigned based on the susceptibility of the drinking water source,
recent sampling results and the presence of potential contaminant sources ––
they do not necessarily indicate these contaminants will reach your source of
water. Nome Water System has received
the following vulnerability rankings: "low" and the aquifer received
a susceptibility rating of "medium".
Combining these scores produces a natural susceptibility of
"low" for the source. In
addition, this water system has received a vulnerability rating of
"low" for bacteria/viruses, "medium" for nitrates/nitrites,
"medium" for volatile organic chemicals, "low" for heavy
metals, "low" for other organic chemicals, and "low" for
synthetic organic chemicals. Completed
source water assessments are available at ADEC's Drinking Water Protection
Program, 555 Cordova St, Anchorage, AK; or the Alaska Resources Library and
Information Services, 3150 C St, Anchorage, AK. For more information, call the Drinking Water
Protection Program at 907-269-7521.
HEALTH
EFFECTS:
****NONE****
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 EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline
(800-426-4791). The Hotline can also
provide more information about contaminants and potential health effects.
Additional Information for Lead |
If
present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems,
especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is
primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and
home plumbing. Fox Watering Point is responsible for providing high quality
drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing
components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can
minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds
to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned
about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested. Information
on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to
minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead. |
VIOLATIONS:
Violation 1. NJUS is required to perform a Sanitary Survey
every three years. NJUS is a member of the
Alaska Rural Water Association, and among other assistance to its membership,
ARWA performs sanitary surveys. Due to
scheduling conflicts with the ARWA surveyor, the survey was not done in 2011. The survey was subsequently completed and compliance
achieved in June 2012.
Violations 2 and 3.
NJUS received
two violations for failing to take required TCB and chlorine residual samples in
February 2011. A blizzard and related safety
hazard kept department personnel from accessing the sample site at the time. NJUS regularly samples the community’s water
to insure it is safe; prior and subsequent samples submitted confirmed our water
quality.
QUESTIONS:
Please
call our office if you have questions. We at Nome Joint Utility System work
around the clock to provide top quality water to every tap. We ask that all our
customers help us protect our water source, which is the heart of our
community, our way of life and our children’s future.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
If
you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility,
please contact Toby Schield, Superintendent of Field Operations (907-443-6330)
or NJUS General Manager, John Handeland (907-443-6587).
We want our valued customers to be
informed about their water utility. If
you want to learn more, you may also attend any of the regularly scheduled Nome
Joint Utility System Board meetings.
Meeting Location:
Nome City Council Chambers
Meeting Time: Third
Tuesday of every month, 7:30 PM
Providing reliable utility
services to system rate payers efficiently and economically by
prudently operating
and maintaining system assets in a fiscally responsible manner