The City of Menominee

Annual Drinking Water Quality Report

For: January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2006

Dear Water Utility Customer:

We're pleased to present to you our Annual Water Quality Report. The "Safe Drinking Water Act" was re-authorized and signed into law by President Clinton in the fall of 1998. A key component of the law is mandatory public disclosure about compliance with drinking water regulations. Your Utility welcomes this opportunity to inform you, our customers about the high quality of your drinking water. The sample results in the following report are technical in nature, and our goal is to help you understand how the data supports the safety of consuming drinking water provided by the City of Menominee. If you have any questions about the content of this report or have suggestions on how to make it more understandable, please contact Don DeTemple at 863-6744.

The source of our water is the Bay of Green Bay, and has been used by the City of Menominee since the late 1800's, and sample data shows that it is of high quality. Over the years, state and federal environmental regulations have become progressively more stringent resulting in significant improvements in Great Lakes water quality. Future efforts to protect our fresh water source include a formal "Source Water Assessment" that was completed by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. The assessment analyzes the sensitivity and susceptibility or the relative potential for contamination of our source water. The sensitivity and susceptibility rating for Menominee’s source water is high on a scale from “very low “ to “high”. Significant sources of potential contamination include Hazardous or Solid Waste sites, Farming operations and Industrial facilities, a summary of the assessment is available upon request by contacting one of the individuals listed below.

The City of Menominee Water Treatment Plant routinely monitors your drinking water for impurities according to federal and state laws. The table included with this report shows the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1 to December 31, 2006. Sample results that are more than five (5) years old need not be included in the report, even if they are the last available data for the supply. All drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of impurities does not necessarily indicate that consuming the water poses an increased health risk. The sources of drinking water (both tap 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, it can also pick up substances resulting from the presence of animal or human activity. More information about contaminants and their potential health effects can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency's Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

Contaminants that may be present in source water include:

(A) Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria that may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.

(B) Inorganic contaminants, such salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or results from urban stormwater runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming.

(C) Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban stormwater runoff, and industrial uses.

(D) Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are a by-product of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff, and septic systems.

(E) Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or the results 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. FDA regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water, which must provide the same protection for public health.

We are proud that your drinking water meets or exceeds all federal and state requirements. We have learned through our monitoring and testing that some contaminates have been detected, but the concentrations found are well below the regulatory standards. The EPA has determined that your water IS SAFE at these levels.

Maximum contaminate levels are set at very restrictive concentrations. To understand the possible health effects described for many of the regulated contaminants listed in this report, a person would have to drink two liters of water every day at the MCL level for a lifetime to have a one-in-a-million chance of having the described health effect.

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 for infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. EPA/CDC (Center for Disease Control, 1-800-342-2437) guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by cryptosporidium and other microbiological contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).

Lead and copper test results: on the following table (items 14 & 17) are samples collected in high-risk homes and demonstrate levels found in the plumbing of the household. This EPA-mandated "Lead and Copper Program" was started in 1992, and at that time 40 high-risk homes were placed on the program. A high-risk home is one containing lead solder joints on copper plumbing installed after 1982, homes with lead pipes, and homes with lead service lines.

The Tap water being produced at the Menominee Water Treatment Plant contains no detectable lead or copper.

Our water utility customers should consider themselves to be investor-owners of the system. The utility is managed as an enterprise fund and all operations, maintenance, and replacement expenditures are financed entirely by user fees. Consequently, all customer inquiries, requests, or suggestions are welcome and encouraged by the utility. The Menominee Water and Wastewater Utility Board are responsible for overseeing the Menominee Water Utility. The Water and Wastewater Utility Board meets on the second Thursday of each month at four (4) PM in the council chambers at City Hall. Utility correspondence may be directed to the following personnel.

Mike Thorsen Donald DeTemple Eric Stranl Utility Manager Superintendent City Manager

Infrastructure Alternatives Infrastructure Alternatives City of Menominee

Phone: 863-3050 Phone: 863-6744 Phone: 863-2656

Fax: 863-1370 Fax: 863-1370 Fax: 863-3266

TEST RESULTS
Regulated Contaminant	Violation Y/N	Level Detected	Range of detections	Sample date	Unit Measurement	MCLG	MCL	Likely Source of Contamination
Microbiological Contaminants
3. Turbidity	N	0.12 NTU = the highest daily average for the year 0.29 = the highest single read for the year.	0.00 NTU to 0.29NTU		NTU	.30	1 NTU in 2 reads 15 min apart for an individual filter. Less than 0.3 NTU in 95% per month for the combined filter effluent reads.	Soil runoff, Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness of the water. We monitor it because it is a good indicator of the effectiveness of our filtration system.
Radioactive Contaminants
5. Alpha emitters	N	<0.7		4-01	pCi/1	0	15	Erosion of natural deposits
6. Combined radium Radium 226 Radium 228	N	(<0.9) <0.1 <0.8		6-02	PCi/l	0	5	Erosion of natural deposits
Inorganic Contaminants
14. Copper	N	50		8-06	ppb	1300	AL=1300	Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits; leaching from wood preservatives
16. Fluoride	N	920			ppb	4000	4000	Erosion of natural deposits; water additive which promotes strong teeth; discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories
17. Lead	N	2		8-06	ppb	0	AL=15	Corrosion of household plumbing systems, erosion of natural deposits

Volatile Organic Contaminants
73. TTHM [Total trihalomethanes]	N	47++	36.0 to 63.0		ppb	0	80as an annual average	By-product of drinking water chlorination
74. HAA5 (Hal0acetic)	N	38.0++	20.0 to 54.0		ppb	0	60 as an annual average	By-product of drinking water chlorination
76.Total Xylenes	N	1		1-06	ppb	10,000	AL=10,000	Discharge from petroleum factories; discharge from chemical factories
		Running Annual Average		Monthly Ratio Range		Treatment Technique
Total Organic Carbon (TOC)	N	1.32 mg/L		1.00 mg/L to 1.75 mg/L		Removal Ratio > 1.0		Naturally present in the environment.

++ Equals the highest annual average for the year

In this table you will find many terms and abbreviations you might not be familiar with. To help you better understand these terms we've provided the following definitions:

ND (Non-Detects) - laboratory analysis indicates that the contaminant is not present.

Ppm (Parts per million) or Milligrams per liter (mg/l) - 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 (Pico curies per liter) - picocuries per liter is a measure of the radioactivity in water.

MREM/YR (Millirems per year) - measure of radiation absorbed by the body.

NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Unit) - nephelometric turbidity unit is a measure of the clarity of water. Turbidity in excess of 5 NTU is just noticeable to the average person.

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 treatment technique is a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

MCL (Maximum Contaminant Level) - The “Maximum Allowed” MCL is 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 “Goal”(MCLG) is 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.

NR (Not Required) Monitoring for these contaminants was not required by the Environmental Protection Agency or the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

CFU (Colony Forming Units) – The number of colonies that formed in a sample on a membrane filter.

The Total Organic (TOC) removal ratio is calculated as the ratio between the actual TOC removal and the TOC removal requirements. The ratios shown are the average of the ratios and the range of the ratios for the 12 months covered by this report. The TOC removal was measured each month and the system met all TOC removal requirements set by the state.

The City of Menominee is not required to mail a copy of the Water Quality Report to individual customers; a copy of the report may be picked up at City Hall, Spies Public Library or by contacting one of the individuals listed above.