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.
NJUS
Water Treatment Operators Jay Wieler, Carl Merchant and Jerry West are proud to
announce that
Nome Joint Utility System received no
water quality or monitoring violations in 2009.
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, 2009. 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 |
0.0832 |
Ppm |
1.3 |
AL=1.3 |
2008 |
Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of
natural deposits |
Lead |
N |
3.2 |
Ppb |
0 |
AL=15 |
2008 |
Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of
natural deposits |
Nitrate
[measured as Nitrogen] |
N |
.242 |
Ppm |
10 |
10 |
2009 |
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 |
5.93 |
Ppb |
N/A |
80 |
2009 |
Disinfection Byproducts |
HAA5 |
N |
1.61 |
Ppb |
60 |
2009 |
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.
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. NJUS 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. |
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 our regularly scheduled Nome Joint Utility System Board meetings.
Meeting
Location: Nome City Council Chambers
Meeting Time: Third Tuesday of every month
Providing reliable utility
services to system rate payers efficiently and economically by
prudently operating and maintaining system
assets in a fiscally responsible manner