Annual Drinking
Water Quality Report

Introduction

This report is provided to inform you about the source and quality of your drinking water, and how it compares to national drinking water standards. This report is a snapshot of last year's water quality. Please take a moment to review this important information.

Source Assessment

Source waters for the Homestead District have been assessed by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation for vulnerability to contamination. This assessment determined that the source waters have a natural susceptibility of “low” to “medium”. In addition, this water system showed it had the following vulnerabilities:

High Vulnerabilities	Medium Vulnerabilities	Low Vulnerabilities
Nitrate/Nitrites	Bacteria	Volatile Organic Chemicals
	Viruses	Synthetic Organic Chemicals
		Heavy Metals
		Other Organic Chemicals

However, ADEC recognizes that these risk assessments have been derived with data and methodologies that have not been entirely verified and may not accurately estimate your drinking water source vulnerability. This source water assessment is available for review at ADEC.

Basic 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 stormwater 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 stormwater runoff, and residential uses.
• Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are byproducts of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban stormwater 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, 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.

Vulnerability

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. The following people may be more at risk from infections due to water impurities:

• 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
• Elderly Persons
• Infants

These people should seek advice about drinking water from their healthcare providers. EPA/CDC 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)

Impurities in the Water

Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some impurities. The presence of impurities does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk. More information about impurities and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).

Testing Waivers

To eliminate unnecessary testing expense, the system has applied for testing waivers for the following:

Asbestos
An asbestos testing waiver has been granted due to no asbestos piping in the system. This waiver does not require renewal.

Synthetic Organic Chemicals (SOC)
An SOC sample set is required to be taken at least once within a "monitoring period" which operates on a 3 year cycle. The system may apply for an SOC waiver within the 3 year monitoring period, which can only be granted if there is no potential sources of SOC contamination located within the water collection area.

Because SOC samples are very expensive and there is no history of SOC contamination within the collection area, we apply for this testing waiver every monitoring period. So far, this waiver has been granted every time an application has been submitted. If the waiver is ever rejected, we will be sure to notify you in the following water quality report.

Nitrate

Nitrate in drinking water at levels above 10 ppm is a health risk for infants of less than six months of age. High nitrate levels in drinking water can cause blue baby syndrome. Nitrate levels may rise quickly for short periods of time because of rainfall or agricultural activity. If you are caring for an infant, you should ask for advice from your health care provider.

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. This utility 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

Water Quality Testing

Because of the numerous potential sources and varieties of impurities, state and federal law mandates the routine testing for all impurities (over 80) known to pose a risk to public health. Some impurities can affect water sources quickly and others are not expected to vary significantly from year to year. Thus, testing schedules also vary from monthly to once every nine years, depending on risk and the impurity tested. Your water system is routinely monitored for all applicable hazardous impurities. However, of those impurities, only those detected in routine testing are listed in the Detected Impurities table.

Detected Impurities

Impurity	Year	Units	MCL	MCLG	Reported Value	Range	Violation	Likely Source
Barium	2019	µg/L	2000	2000	9	N/A	N	Discharge of drilling wastes; discharge from metal refineries; erosion of natural deposits
Chlorine (as Cl₂)	2022	mg/L	4	4	0.9	0.1-0.9	N	Water additive used to control microbes
Chromium (total)	2019	µg/L	100	100	2.2	N/A	N	Discharge from steel and pulp mills; erosion of natural deposits
Nitrate (measured as Nitrogen)	2022	mg/L	10	10	7.4	N/A	N	Runoff from fertilizer use; leaking from septic tanks, sewage; erosion of natural deposits
Nickel	2019	µg/L	N/A	N/A	2	N/A	N	Erosion of natural deposits
Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs)	2022	µg/L	80	N/A	2.8	N/A	N	Byproduct of drinking water disinfection

Impurity	Year	Units	MCL	MCLG	Reported Value	Samples > MCL	Violation	Likely Source
Lead	2022	µg/L	15	0	2.7	0	N	Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits
Copper	2022	µg/L	1300	1300	92	0	N	Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits

Definitions And Terms

MCL

(Maxiumum Contaminant Level) The highest level of an impurity allowable in drinking water.

MCLG

(Maximum Contaminant Level Goal) The amount of an impurity below which there is no known or expected health risk.

MRDL

(Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level) The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water.

MRDLG

(Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal) The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected health risk.

AL

(Action Level) The concentration of an impurity which, when exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements that a water system must follow.

TT

(Treatment Technique) A required process intended to reduce the level of an impurity in drinking water.

PPM

(Parts Per Million) This measure corresponds to one penny out of $10,000 or one minute out of about 2 years. 1 ppm is essentially one millionth of the total water volume.

Mg/L

(Milligrams Per Liter) This is another way of displaying PPM. See PPM for a definition.

PPB

(Parts Per Billion) This measure corresponds to one penny out of $10 Million or one minute out of about 2,000 years. 1 ppb is essentially one billionth of the total water volume.

µg/L

(Micrograms Per Liter) This is another way of displaying PPB. See PPB for a definition.

PPT

(Parts Per Trillion) This measure corresponds to one penny out of $10 Billion or one second out of about 32,000 years. 1 ppt is essentially one trillionth of the total water volume.

pCi/L

(Picocuries Per Liter) This is a unit of radioactivity corresponding to one decay every 27 seconds in a volume of one liter of water, or 0.037 decays per second in every liter of air. For a comparison, an average banana contains about 520 Picocuries of radiation.

Mrem
/Yr

(Millirems Per Year) a Millirem is a measure of the health effect of low levels of ionizing radiation on the human body. For some perspective, eating a banana every day for a year would expose you to about 3.6 mrem/Yr.

NTU

(Nephelometric Turbidity Units) This is a precise measurement of how cloudy the water is. The higher the number, the cloudier the water is.

Violations

Home Filters

Although your water is rigorously tested, it may have aesthetic qualities you find objectionable such as iron, manganese, calcium, or sulfur smell. Some people may also have concerns about trace impurities not detected in routine testing. If you choose to filter, here are some tips to consider.

GENERAL USE FILTER SELECTION:

Improper media selection can cause poor results. Please consider the following guidance for successful general use filter selection.

*For mineral removal such as hardness, iron,  and manganese, water softening or green sand filtration is recommended.

*For taste and odor associated with chlorine and sulfur (rotten eggs), use carbon filters with carbon media.

*For fine particle removal, 5-10 micron cartridge media is best. Because of high maintenance costs, 1 micron or finer cartridges are seldom advised.

CAUTION: If a filter, including softeners, is not in use, it should be bypassed to prevent bacterial growth from contaminating your drinking water.

FILTER MAINTENANCE:   Many homes have cartridge style water filters installed either under the kitchen sink or large whole house filters installed where the water enters the house. These filters can be a source of harmful bacteria if they are not regularly maintained. As a general rule, filter cartridges should be replaced every 6 months although individual manufacturers specifications may vary. Symptoms of a plugged filter may be dirty water, unpleasant odor, or low pressure.

FILTER SELECTION FOR HEALTH CONCERNS:   Some people choose to filter their water to address specific health concerns or for general peace of mind. It is recommended that EPA’s filter selection guidance be consulted to assist with selection of an appropriate filter technology to address specific impurities of concern. Guidance can be found on the internet at https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/home-drinking-water-filtration-fact-sheet

Maintenance & Emergency

Your water system is routinely maintained by Northern Utility Services, certified water system operators. If you have any questions or need to report an emergency, Northern Utility Services staff is pleased to assist you. Office hours are 8:00-5:00 Mon-Fri.

Tel: 907-222-4084

Emergency response is available via answering service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.