2008 WATER QUALITY REPORT

FOR

City of Fairbank

June 2009

This is the ninth year that the City of Fairbank will make available to its users an Annual Quality Water Report as mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency.  This report is designed to inform you about the quality of the 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.  The source of our water is groundwater.  Our groundwater is drawn from Silurian-Devonian and Cambrian-Ordovician Aquifers.  Well #3 is 1292 feet deep and gets the water from the Cambrian-Ordovician Aquifer.  Well #4 is 200 feet deep and gets the water from the Silurian-Devonian Aquifer.  Well #1 and #2 have been abandoned and plugged over the years because of low water volume.  The City of Fairbank uses around 33 million gallons of water per year.

 Fairbank Water Supply routinely samples for contaminants in your drinking water.  A total of ninety-five contaminants are routinely checked according to Federal and State guidelines.  At this time, the water you drink has NO Federal or State violations.  Contaminants out of the ninety-five tested are listed in this report.  The nine contaminates that were detected are all below the contaminate levels set by the EPA. Your water supply will continually be tested for contaminates.

Your water supply has two chemicals added, chlorine and phosphate, at each well site before the water is delivered to your home.  Chlorine is added to insure that safe and bacteria free water is delivered to your home.  Phosphate is added for corrosion control, to help reduce discoloration, staining, and mineral build-up throughout the water system.  Chlorine treatment was added in 1978 and phosphate treatment was added December 1, 1998.

 Information on chlorine and phosphate treatment can be obtained at Fairbank City Hall located at 116 East Main Street.  Office hours are Monday –Friday, 9:00-12:00 and 1:00-5:00.  We work hard to provide top quality water to every tap.

This report contains important information regarding the water quality in our water system. The source of our water is groundwater.  Our water quality testing shows the following results:

Distribution System

Well House Sink Tap #3

Well House Sink Tap #4

Note: Contaminants with dates indicate results from the most recent testing done in accordance with regulations.

DEFINITIONS

·          Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) – 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 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.

·          ppb -- parts per billion.

·          ppm -- parts per million.

·          pCi/L – picocuries per liter

·          N/A – Not applicable

·          ND -- Not detected

·          Action Level (AL) – The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.

·          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.

·          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.

·          RAA – Running Annual Average

·          Parts per million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter (mg/l) – one part per million corresponds to one minute in 2 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 2000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000.

Note: Contaminants with dates indicate results from the most recent testing done in accordance with regulations.

GENERAL 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 posed a health risk.  More information about contaminants or 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 microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

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.  Fairbank 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.

SOURCE WATER ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

The Fairbank water supply obtains its water from the Silurian-Devonian and Cambrian-Ordovician aquifers.  The Silurian-Devonian aquifer was determined to be highly susceptible to contamination because the characteristics of the aquifer and overlying materials allow contaminants to move through the aquifer fairly quickly.  The Silurian-Devonian wells will be most susceptible to activities such as dry cleaners, gas stations, industrial sites, and municipal wastewater discharges.  The Cambrian-Ordovician well will not be susceptible to most contaminant sources except through pathways to the aquifer such as abandoned wells or poorly maintained wells.  A detailed evaluation of your source water was completed by the IDNR, and is available from the City of Fairbank at 319/635-2869.

OTHER INFORMATION

Our water utility is making every effort to protect the water system from potential security threats.  You, as customers, can also help.  If you see any suspicious activity near the water tower, treatment plant, wells or fire hydrants, please contact us at 319/635-2869 or the local police department.  We appreciate your assistance in protecting the water system.

CONTACT INFORMATION

For questions regarding this information, please contact Dave Ryan at 319/635-2869 during the following hours: 9am – Noon and 1pm – 5 pm on Monday - Friday. Decisions regarding the water system are made at the city council meetings held on second and fourth Mondays of each month at 6 p.m. at city hall and are open to the public.

We ask that all our customers help us protect our water sources, which are the heart of our community, our way of life, and our children’s future.  Two free toilet dye bags are included which is enough to check four toilets. Instructions are on the bag. Let’s do our part to conserve water. Extra bags are available at city hall if needed.

Sincerely,

Dave Ryan

Utility Superintendent

Facility Name:  Fairbank Water Supply                  PWSID#:  1025031

Date:  4/22/09

PUBLIC NOTIFICATION

MONITORING VIOLATION OF THE WATER TESTING SCHEDULE

Our water system violated a drinking water standard(s) over the past year. Even though these were not emergencies, as our customers, you have a right to know what happened and what we did to correct these situations.

We, the Fairbank Public Water Supply are required to monitor your drinking water for specific contaminants on a regular basis. Results of regular monitoring are an indicator of whether or not our drinking water meets health standards. During the first quarter of 2009 we did not monitor or test 1 quarterly sample for Nitrates and therefore cannot be sure of the quality of our drinking water during that time.

What should I do?

There is nothing you need to do at this time.

What Happened? What is being done?

On October of 2007 while performing our annual test for nitrates we had high nitrate readings which made us change from our normal annual sampling of nitrates to quarterly sampling. After 4 consecutive quarterly nitrate readings of less than 1.0 mg/l and the absence of nitrates on our DNR Detect Report, we mistakenly went back to an annual reporting schedule for the year 2009 which was a violation per 567 Iowa Administrative code (IAC) 41.

We have since learned that we are required to test for nitrates on a quarterly basis until further notified. We have adjusted our sampling schedule to comply with the rules and regulations of the Iowa DNR and will continue to do so.