Marshall Municipal Utilities - Water - Water Treatment

2007 Annual Water Quality Report

Once again, we are pleased to provide you with information on your drinking water supply.

We encourage public interest and participation in our community's decisions affecting your drinking water. Informed customers are our best allies in providing safe and sufficient drinking water. Regular Board meetings are normally held at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesdays before the 1^st and 3^rd Mondays of every month, at the MMU office, 75 East Morgan in Marshall, Missouri. Dates are subject to change, so check at the office to be sure.

Informe contiene informacion importante sobre la calidad del agua en su communidad. Traduzcalo o hable con alguien que lo entienda bien.

Water Source and Treatment

Marshall's water comes from ten wells in the Missouri River alluvium in the Malta Bend area. The wells range in depth from 120 to 147 feet deep. The water quality is very good; it does, however, contain calcium and magnesium that cause what is referred to as "hard" or soap-consuming water. Iron is present also in levels that could cause laundry staining. The plant first aerates the water to remove iron, and then lime is added to soften the water. Fluoride is added to help prevent dental cavities, and chlorine is added to disinfect and to protect against contamination in the distribution system.

A Department of Natural Resources-conducted source water assessment for the MMU water system looked at the potential for contamination of MMU's wells. The assessment shows no known source of contamination within one mile of the well field. A copy of the assessment is available from MMU. Contact the MMU office at 660-886-6966.

What Does This Table Mean?

The following table shows the results of our water-quality analyses. Every regulated contaminant that the laboratories detected in the drinking water, even in the very smallest amounts, is listed. The table lists the name of each substance, the highest level allowed by regulation, the ideal goal for public health, the amount detected, the usual source of the substance, a key to units of measurement, and footnotes with additional details.

Substance	MCLG	MCL	Unit	Date	Result/ Average	Range	Major Source
Regulated at the Treatment Plant
Barium	2	2	ppm	July 2005	0.039	NA	Erosion of natural deposits.
Chromium	100	100	ppb	July 2005	1.3	NA	Erosion of natural deposits.
Flouride	4	4	ppm		1.08	0.93-1.24	Erosion of natural deposits; water additive which promotes strong teeth.
Nitrate + Nitrite	10	10	ppm		0.13	NA	Erosion of natural deposits.
Nitrite	1	1	ppm		0.13	NA	Erosion of natural deposits.
Regulated in the Distribution System
Haloacetic acids	NA	60	ppb		24.0	18.6-27.6	By-product of drinking water disinfection.
Total trihalomethanes	NA	80	ppb		57.6	55.0-60.7	By-product of drinking water disinfection.
	MRDLG	MRDL	Unit	Date	Average	Range	Major Source
Chlorine	4	4.0	ppm		1.51	0.56-2.20	Water additive used to control microbes.
Regulated at the Customers' Tap
	MCLG	MCL	Unit	Date	90th Percentile	Number exceeding the AL	Major Source
Copper	1.3	AL=1.3	ppm		.081	0	Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits.
Lead	0	AL=15	ppb		5.20	1	Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits.
Unregulated Contaminants
Sodium	NA	NA	ppm	July 2005	21.9	NA

All samples, except chlorine, were analyzed by the Department of Natural Resources' laboratory or by a certified laboratory under contract to DNR. Chlorine is analyzed onsite by MMU personnel.

Abbreviations:

AL - Action Level: The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.
MCL - Maximum contaminant level: 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 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.
MRDL - Maximum residual disinfection 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 disinfection 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
ND - No detect: The contaminant was below the laboratory's detection limit.
ppb - parts per billion: Concentration, also referred to as micrograms per liter (µg/l).
ppm - parts per million: Concentration, also referred to as milligrams per liter (mg/l).

Footnotes:

Fluoride average is from 12 samples.
Total trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids averages are from 4 samples each.
Copper and lead values are from 30 samples each.
Chlorine average is from 120 samples.
The date is given if last sample was prior to 2007.
An average and a range is given for those substances that had more than one sample during the year.

Additional Monitoring Information

In addition to the substances listed here, MMU monitors for several dozen other chemicals. For a complete list of monitored substances, when they were last monitored, the results, the monitoring frequency, and other information about MMU, please see the other links in this section of our website.

Additional Health Information

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 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 also can 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.

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the Environmental Protection Agency (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, reasonably may be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not indicate necessarily that water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling 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 (Centers for Disease Control) 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).

We will be happy to answer any questions about MMU and your water quality. Call Ginny Ismay at 660-595-2417 or 886-6966. Water quality data for community water systems in the United States is available on the Internet at www.waterdata.com.

MMU is a member of the American Water Works Association and the Missouri Water and Wastewater Conference, industry organizations dedicated to water quality.