Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
Ashley, North Dakota
2009
We’re pleased to present to you this year’s Annual Drinking Water Quality Report. This report is designed to inform you about the safe clean water 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 city of Ashley draws its potable water from an unnamed aquifer. The city of Ashley has two municipal ground water wells.
The city of Ashley is participating in North Dakota’s WeiIhead Protection Progran. Information on Ashley’s Welihead Protection Plan can be obtained from Jolene Weisser, Ashley City Auditor,. The North Dakota Department of Health has prepared a Source Water Assessment for the city of Ashley. Information on Ashley’s Source Water Assessment can be obtained from Jolene Weisser, Ashley City Auditor. Our public water system, in cooperation with the North Dakota Department of Health, has completed the delineation and contaminant/land use inventory elements of the North Dakota Source Water Protection Program. Based on the information from these elements, the North Dakota Department of Health has determined that our source water is “not likely susceptible” to potential contaminants. No significant sources of contamination have been identified.
The city of Ashley is pleased to report that our drinking water is safe and meets federal and state requirements.
This report shows our water quality and what it means.
If you have questions regarding this report, please call Jolene Weisser, Ashley City Auditor, at (701) 288-3096. Questions can also be answered at our regularly scheduled monthly council
meeting held the first Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. in the Ashky City Hall. If you are aware of non-English speaking individuals who need help with the appropriate language
translation, please call Jolene Weisser at the number listed above.
The city of Ashley would appreciate it if large volume water customers would please post copies of Annual Drinking Water Quality Report in conspicuous locations or distribute them to
tenants, residents, patients, students, and/or employees, so individuals who constm e the water, but do not receive a water bill can learn about our water system.
Ashley routinely monitors for contaminants in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws. This table shows the results of our monitoring for the period of January l to
December 3 i, 2009. As authorized and approved by EPA, the state has reduced monitoring
requirements for certain contaminants to less often than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants are not expected to vary significar y from year to year.. Some of our data [e.g., for inorganic though representative, is more than one year okL
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, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of aub a 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, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil production, minirg or farming.
Pesticides and herbicides, which 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 by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban stonuwater 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, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health.
In the table on pages 3 & 4, you will find many terms and abbreviations you might not be familiar with. To help you better understand these terms weve provided the following definitions:
Not Applicable- (N/A)
Parts per million (qm) or Milligrams per liter (mgi?) - one part per miffion corresponds to one
minute in two years or a single penny in $10,000.
Parts per billion (opt,) or Micrograms per liter (/l)- one part per billion cods to one minute in 2,000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000.
Picocuries per liter (jCi’i) - picocuries per liter is a measure of the radioactivity in water.
Action Level (AL)- The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.
Trea Technique (TI) - A treatment technique is a required pit intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.
Maximum Contaminant Level - The “Maxinuim Allowed” (MCL) is the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MULs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.
Maximum Contaminant Level Goat - 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.
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Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL) — The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinicing water. There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants.
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.
TEST RESULTS FOR THE CITY OF ASHLEY

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Contaminant MCLG MCL Level Unit j Violation Likely Source of Detected !c!i Li2 Yo Contamination rement Other Info

Total Organic Carbon Removal

1. Alkalinity, Total 239 ppm N/A 2009 No Naturally present in the environment

Disinfectants

2. Chlorine MRDL MRDL=4 1.7 ppm 0.3 to 2009 No Water additive used to G4 .0 1.4 control microbes

Disinfection Byproducts

3. HAA5

60

ND

ppb

NI) to 0

2009

No

By-product of drinking water chlorination

4. TTHM

80

ND

ppb

ND to 0

2009

No

By-product of drinking water chlorination

Radioactive Contaminants

5. Gross Alpha, including RA, Excluding RN & U

15

15

3.24

pCi/i

N/A

2009

No

Erosion of natural deposits

6. Radium Combined (226, 228)

5

0.392

pCi/I

N/A ______

2009

No

Erosion of natural deposits

7. Uranium, Combined

30

1.76

ppb

N/A

2009

No

Erosion of natural deposits

Lead/Copper

8. Copper

10

1.3

0.203

ppm

N/A

2008

No

Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits; leaching from wood preservatives

9. Lead

10

15

8.28

ppb

N/A

2008

No

Corrosion of household plumbing systems, erosion of natural deposits

Inorganic Contaminants

10. Arsenic

0

10

1.64

ppb

N/A

2007

No

Erosion of natural deposits; runoff from orchards; runoff from glass and electronics production wastes

11. Barium

2

2

0.0097

ppm

N/A

2009

No

Discharge of drilling wastes; discharge from metal refineries; erosion of natural deposits

12. Nitrate-Nitrite

10

10

0.6

ppm

N/A

2009

No

Runoff from fertilizer use; leaching from septic tanks, sewage; erosion of natural çposits

* No sites exceeded the lead or copper action levels in 2008.
EPA requires monitoring of over 80 drinlcing water contaminants. Those contaminants listed in the table above are the only contaminants detected in your drinking water.
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13. Fluoride

4

4

1.24 d

ppm

N/A

2009

No

Erosion of natural deposits; water additive which promotes strong teeth; discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories

14. Selenium

50

50

1.04

ppb

N/A

2009

No

Discharge from petroleum and metal refineries; erosion of natural deposits; discharge from mines

Unregulated Contaminants

15. Bicarbonate As HCO3

292

ppm

N/A

2009

16. Calcium

48.3

ppm

N/A

2009

17. Chloride -

32.3

ppm

N/A

2009

18. Conductivity @25 C Umhos/cm

1120

umho/ cm

N/A

2009

19. Gross Alpha mci. Radon & U

4.42

ppm

N/A

2009

20.PH

7.51

PH

N/A

2009

21. TDS

696

ppm

N/A

2009

22. Hardness Total (AS CACO3)

166

ppm

N/A

2009

23. Magnesium

11.1

ppm

N/A

2009

24. Manganese

0.027

ppm

N/A

2009

25. Nickel

0.00204

ppm

N/A

2009

26. Potassium

9

ppm

N/A

2009

27. Sodium

181

ppm

N/A

2009

28. Sodium Adsorption Ratio

6.1

obsvn as

N/A

2009

29. Sulfate

270

ppm

N/A

2009

30. Zinc

0.0106

ppm

N/A

2009

We’re proud that your drinking water meets or exceeds all Federal and State requirements. We have learned through our monitoring and testing that some contaminants have been detected. The EPA has determined that your water IS SAFE at these levels.
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 the 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
(1-800-426-4791).
MCL’s are set at very stringent levels. To understand the possible health effects described for many regulated contaminants, a person would have to drink 2 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.
Thank you for allowing us to provide your family with clean, quality water this year. In order to maintain a safe and dependable water supply we sometimes need to make improvements that will benefit all of our customers. These improvements sometimes require rate structure adjustments.
Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-comprornised persons, such as, persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HP//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 Safe Drinking Water Elotline (1400-426-4791).
If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant woman and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. City of Ashley is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. Use water from the cold tap for drinking and cooking. 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 drinki g water, you may wish to have your water tested. information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize expo-sure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at http://wwwepa.gov/safewaterIlead.
Tampering with a public water system is a federal offense. Report suspicious activity to local law enforcement immediately.
Please call Jolene Weisser, Ashley City AUditor, at 701-288-3096 if you have questions concerning your city’s water system.
The city of Ashley works diligently to provide top quality water to every tap. 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.
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