Fort Wayne City Utilities
2016 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
Aboite Water System PWSID #IN5202014
Fort Wayne City U li es is pleased to present to you the annual water quality report for the Aboite Water System (formerly owned by Aqua Indiana). The Aboite Water System was acquired by Fort Wayne City U li es on December 4, 2014 and customers were transi oned to water from City U li es’ Three Rivers Water Filtra on Plant in phases a er that date. Therefore, during 2015 (the period covered by this report) you may have received water from both systems at different mes. Because you may have received water from the Three Rivers Filtra on Plant during some of 2015, you will also be receiving a similar report from City U li es for water that came from that facility. By fall of 2015, all former Aqua Indiana customers in southwest Fort Wayne were receiving water from the Three Rivers Water Filtra on Plant and City U li es was no longer providing any customers with water drawn from the groundwater wells in the Aboite Water System. Water Source During 2015 the Aboite Water System’s water supply came from groundwater wells that drew water from an underground aquifer known as the Wabash Moraine Bedrock Aquifer. The Aboite system had three treatment plants and three well fields: the Aboite well field had four wells; the Covington well field had three wells; and the Chestnut Hills well field had four wells. A source water assessment for the Aboite System water supply was completed by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). These assessments iden fy and assess any poten al sources of contamina on in the vicinity of the water supply. Informa on provided by the assessment indicates that the Aboite water supply had a low suscep bility to contamina on. This determina on is based on a number of criteria including: monitoring conducted at the wells, monitoring conducted at the distribu on system entry point, and available hydro‐geologic well data. Addi onal informa on about Source Water Assessments is available on IDEM’s website at www.in.gov/idem. As water travels over the surface of land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioac ve material. It can also pick up substances resul ng from the presence of animals or from human ac vity. Therefore, the source water for the Aboite Water System was tested on a regular basis to ensure a safe supply. Contaminants that may be found in source water include:  Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, sep c systems, agricultural livestock opera ons and wildlife.  Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally‐occurring or result from urban storm‐
water runoff, industrial or domes c wastewater discharges, oil and gas produc on, mining or farming.  Pes cides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban stormwater runoff, and residen al land uses.  Organic chemical contaminants, including synthe c and vola le organic chemicals, which are byproducts of industrial processes and petroleum produc on, and can also come from gas sta ons, urban stormwater runoff and sep c systems.  Radioac ve contaminants, which can be naturally‐occurring or be the result of oil and gas produc on and mining ac vi es. To ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the United States Environmental Protec on Agency (US EPA) sets regula ons that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water that comes from public water systems. Food and Drug Administra on regula ons establish limits for contaminants in bo led water, which must provide the same protec on for public health. The US EPA also requires that public water systems make an annual report, such as this one, to all of their customers. Bo led water producers don’t face the same requirement. Drinking water may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of these contaminants does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk. More informa on about contaminants and poten al health effects may be obtained by calling the Environmental Protec on Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1‐800‐426‐4791. Aboite Water System • 2016 Water Quality Report Water Quality Test Results for 2015 The table below shows substances that are regulated by the US EPA that were detected in finished drinking water distributed by City U li es through the Aboite Water System between January 1 and December 31, 2015. Results of all tests performed on wa‐
ter from the three drinking water produc on plants in the Aboite Water System in 2015 met or were be er than federal and state standards require. Some tests are required only once per year because the EPA and State of Indiana have determined that the concentra on of these substances does not change frequently. For tests required only once a year there is no range of results in the table. Contaminants Units MCLG Disinfectants & Disinfec on By‐Products Compliance Achieved Highest Level Detected MCL Range Typical Sources Chlorine ppm 4 4 Yes 1.93 0.62—1.93 Addi ve used in water treatmentspro‐
cess to control bacteria Haloace c Acids (HAA5) ppb NA 60 Yes 13.5 8.9—13.5 By‐product of drinking water disinfec on Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs) ppb NA 80 Yes 21.1 19.8—21.1 By‐product of drinking water disinfec on Inorganic Compounds Fluoride ppm 4 4 Yes 1.4 1.4—1.4 Erosion of natural deposits; water addi ve that promotes strong teeth; discharge from fer lizer and aluminum factories Nitrate (measured as Nitrogen) ppm 10 10 Yes 0.149 <0.1—0.149 Runoff from fer lizer use; leaching from sep c systems; sewage dis‐
charge; erosion of natural deposits Barium ppm 2 2 Yes 0.2 0.2—0.2 Discharge of drilling waste; discharge from metal refineries; erosion of natural deposits Microbial Contaminants Total Coliform % of posi ve samples monthly 0 5 Yes 0 0—0 Naturally present in the environment Vola le Organic Compounds (VOCs) NA Synthe c Organic Compounds (SOCs) Dicamba ppb NA NA NA 0.2 0.2—0.2 Runoff of herbicide used on row crops Metolachlor ppb NA NA NA 0.1 0.1—0.1 Runoff of herbicide used on row crops Inorganic Contaminants Copper (Last tes ng period was in 2014) ppm 1.3 90% of samples taken below AL = 1.3 Yes 0.29 NA Erosion of natural deposits; corrosion of household plumbing systems Lead (Last tes ng period was in 2014) ppb 0 90% of samples taken below AL = 15 Yes 3.4 NA Erosion of natural deposits; corrosion of household plumbing systems Aboite Water System • 2016 Water Quality Report How to read the water quality table MCLG — Maximum Contaminant Level Goal: established by the US EPA, 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. MCL — Maximum Contaminant Level: The highest level of a contaminant allowed in drinking water per regula ons set by the US EPA. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as is feasible using the best available treatment technology. AL — Ac on Level: The concentra on of a contaminant, which if exceeded, triggers implementa on of a required type of treatment or other requirements that the water system must follow. Highest Detected Level: The highest level of a contaminant detected and used for comparison against the acceptable or required level. The detected level may be the highest single measurement or it may be an average depending on the prescribed tes ng protocol. Range: The lowest to the highest values for all samples tested for each contaminant. If only one sample/test is required, no range is shown. NA: Not applicable ppm: Parts per million or milligrams per liter (mg/L) ppb: Parts per billion or micrograms per liter (ug/L) %: percentage of monthly or annual samples that tested posi ve or that exceeded a certain level A Word About Lead Fort Wayne City U li es regularly tests water from a number of homes in the community to determine lead levels. Water that came through the Aboite Water System met all state and federal requirements for lead. However, in some buildings and homes lead levels in water may have gone up because of the types of pipes and plumbing fixtures used in those structures. 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 water service lines and home plumbing. Fort Wayne City U li es is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components that bring water from our main lines into your house or those within individual buildings. When your water has been si ng in home plumbing for several hours, lead may enter the water from plumbing fixtures. You can minimize your poten al for lead exposure by le ng the water run before using it. Turn on the cold water and let it run at least un l you feel the water get no ceably cooler before you use the water for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned about the level of lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested by a private laboratory. Informa on on lead in drinking water, tes ng methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1‐800‐426‐4791 or at www.epa.gov/safewater/lead. You may also contact Fort Wayne City U li es at 311 or visit our website at www.cityoffortwayne/u li es or contact the Indiana State Department of Health at (317) 233‐1250 or the Fort Wayne‐ Allen County Department of Health at (260) 449‐8600 for more informa on on health risks and on reducing lead exposure. Aboite Water System • 2016 Water Quality Report Drinking Water and Your Health Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general popula on. Immune‐compromised per‐
sons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, persons with HIV/
AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly persons and infants, can be par cularly at risk for infec ons. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. Cryptosporidium is a microbial pathogen that may be found in surface water such as rivers, lakes and streams throughout the Unit‐
ed States. Cryptosporidium is typically not found in water coming from groundwater wells. Inges on of Cryptosporidium may cause cryptosporidiosis, an abdominal infec on with symptoms including nausea, diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Cryptosporidi‐
um must be ingested to cause disease, and it may be spread through means other than drinking water. Most healthy individuals can overcome the disease within a few weeks. However, immune‐compromised people, infants, small children and the elderly are at greater risk for developing life‐threatening illness. Guidelines from the US EPA and Centers for Disease Control and Preven on on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infec on by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1‐800‐426‐4791. Important Informa on Sources Vicky Zehr – Water Quality Manager (260) 427‐1254 or (260) 427‐8311 www.cityoffortwayne.org EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline 1‐800‐426‐4791 www.epa.gov/drink/ Aboite Water System • 2016 Water Quality Report