Department Policies

STEVENS POINT WATER DEPARTMENT

Consumer Confidence Report
CITY OF WONDERFUL WATER
ISSUE 9- SUMMER 2008

Who we Are - Test Results - Important Information

Annual Drinking Water Quality Report

The staff and Management of the City of Stevens Point Water Department are proud to provide safe, dependable water to you 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The bottom line is: Our water meets or exceeds all federal and state standards for quality and safety. This report describes Stevens Point's drinking water quality, which conforms to federal regulations.

The 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments required that beginning in October 1999 all community water systems provide their customers with an annual report on the quality of their drinking water.  This Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) gives the Water Department the opportunity to communicate to the public, issues we face in providing safe, clean drinking water.  It is also a way to document and communicate needs the Water Department has in regards to updating equipment and operational procedures as we look to the future.

STEVENS POINT WATER DEPARTMENT

The original Water utility was built in 1887 on the Wisconsin River by the Stevens Point Water Company, a privately owned enterprise in what is now Bukolt Park. The utility was purchased by the City on July 1, 1922 . The distribution system is comprised of over 140 miles of pipe in sizes ranging from 2" to 42", along with 1093 fire hydrants. In 2007, we pumped 2,399,962,000 gallons of water for an average of 6.56 million gallons per day, a reduction of 12 million gallons from last year.

The Water Department completed several studies dealing with wellhead protection and water quality at the Well Field. The Portage County Groundwater Management Plan Volume 1 was adopted in 1988. It includes an inventory and analysis of the county's groundwater resources, problems and needs. Volume 2 includes recommendations for planning, management and education. Because of the plan, Stevens Point, along with Portage County developed a city and county Wellhead Protection Ordinance. This helps to ensure protection of our seven groundwater wells.

CONSERVATION CORNER

PLEASE DO YOUR PART TO SAVE WATER:

• Fix leaky toilets or faucets.  A leak as small as a 1/16" diameter stream can waste 296,000 gallons of water per year

• Wash only full loads of clothes and dishes.

• Take short showers or half-full baths.

• Install low-flow fixtures.

• Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or doing dishes.

• Install water saving plants in your landscape and water your lawn wisely.  Early morning or later evenings are recommended times for watering.  Avoid the hottest part of the day as the water evaporates instead of reaching your lawn.

STEVENS POINT BOARD OF WATER &
SEWAGE COMMISSIONERS

Paul Adamski - President
Eugene Tubbs - Secretary
Jim Cooper, Mae Nachman, Carl Rassmussen

Commission meetings are held the second Monday
of every month at noon.

STEVENS POINT WATER AND SEWAGE
TREATMENT DEPARTMENTS
300 Bliss Avenue - P.O. Box 243
Stevens Point Wisconsin 54481-0243
Phone: 715-345-5260
Emergency After Hours: 715-346-1051
Fax: 715-345-5369 www.stevenspointwaterdpt.org
Hours:
Monday - Friday: 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM

2007 Test Results

The Stevens Point Water Department routinely monitors your drinking water in compliance with Federal and State laws. This table shows the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1st, to December 31st, 2007. All drinking water, including bottled drinking water, may be reasonably expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. It's important to remember that the presence of these contaminants does not necessarily pose a health risk. All sources of drinking water are subject to potential contamination by constituents that are naturally occurring or manmade. Those constituents can be microbes, organic or inorganic chemicals, or radioactive materials or pesticides and herbicides.

          Any test results prior to 2007 are by regulation requirements.  If you have any questions
          regarding this report, please contact Director Kim Halverson at 715-345-5260.

*Systems exceeding a lead and/or copper action level must take actions to reduce lead and/or copper in the drinking water.  The lead and copper values represent the 90th percentile of all compliance samples collected.  If you want information on the number of sites or the actions taken to reduce these levels, please contact your water supply operator.

NUMBER OF CONTAMINANTS REQUIRED TO BE TESTED

This table displays the number of contaminants that were required to be tested in the last five years.  The CCR may contain up to five years worth of water quality results.  If a water system tests annually, or more frequently, the results from the most recent year are shown on the CCR.  If testing is done less frequently, the results shown on the CCR are from the past five years.

 

Contaminant Group	# of Contaminants
Inorganic Contaminants	16
Radioactive Contaminants	1
Unregulated Contaminants	34
Microbiological Contaminants	2
Volatile Organic Contaminates	21
Synthetic Organic Contaminants including Pesticides and Herbicides	23
Disinfection Byproducts	1

Definition of Terms
For your convenience, this table provides definitions of many terms and abbreviations that you may not be familiar with:

• (ND) Non-Detects - Laboratory analysis indicates that the constituent is not present.
  
• (ppm) Parts per million or (mg/l) Milligrams per liter - One part per million corresponds to one minute in two years or a single penny in $10,000.
  
• (ppb) Parts per billion or Micrograms per liter - One part per billion corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000.
  
• (pCi/L) Picocuries per liter - Picocuries per liter is a measure of the radioactivity in water.
  
• (AL) Action Level - The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.
  
• (TT) Treatment Technique - A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water

• (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 treatment 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.
   
• (MFL) Million Fibers per Liter.
   
• (mrem/year) Millirems per year - A measure of radiation absorbed by the body.
   
• (NTU) Nephelometric Turbidity Units.
   
• (ppt) Parts per Trillion - or nanograms per liter.
   
• (ppq) Parts per quadrillion - or picograms per liter.
   
• (TCR) Total Coliform Rule
   

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Educational Information

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems.  FDA regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water, which shall provide the same protection for public health.

The source 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.

Nitrate in drinking water at levels above 10ppm 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.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Important Health Information...

Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants.  The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk.  More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency's safe drinking water hotline (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 guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by cryptosporidium, and other microbiological contaminants are available from the ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY'S Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).

CURRENT AND FUTURE PROJECTS

     The 2007 construction season had water main reconstructed and replaced on Frontenac Avenue and West Whitney Street.
     Continuing conservation efforts include an annual system wide leak detection survey that found a total of 19 leaks which saved approximately 18.3 million gallons of water per year and savings of $13,795.00.
     The DNR has indicated that we need to increase our reliable water capacity by installing an additional well.  Efforts are underway to do this.  Well test pumping will begin in summer of 2008.  Rates will need to be adjusted to accomplish this project along with infrastructure repair and replacements as well.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Stevens Point Water Department
300 Bliss Avenue
P.O. Box 243
Stevens Point, WI 54481-0243

Phone: 715-345-5260

Office Hours : Monday - Friday ==> 7:30 am - 4:00 pm
Emergency After Hours Calls Only ==> 346 - 1051