Water Department

*City of Columbia City* *1840 Second Street, PO Box 189, Columbia City, OR 97018 (503) 397-4010*
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CITY OF COLUMBIA CITY

2009 WATER QUALITY REPORT

In compliance with federal reporting requirements, Columbia City provides you with an annual report of the outcome of our many water quality tests. Our constant goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water. The cities of St. Helens and Columbia City test water frequently, and we meet or exceed all quality standards required by federal and state requirements. We are required by the Oregon State Health Division to take 2 routine water samples each month, along with other quarterly tests.

We continually upgrade our distribution and storage systems by replacing old water mains, repairing leaks, cleaning our storage reservoirs and updating system maps. Columbia City's three water storage reservoirs provide us with a combined capacity of 1.4 million gallons, which meets our City’s storage demands. Our cross-connection program is designed to help prevent any potentially contaminated water from re-entering the City water supply. Columbia City requires a backflow assembly where that potential exists in our system to ensure quality drinking water. This report presents water quality data and explains what it means.

Columbia City's water comes from two separate sources. The first source is supplied by two groundwater wells located in the Public Works Shop yard at 1755 Second Place. PW Well #2 is the City's main well, and PW Well #1 serves as a backup well.

The City also purchases water from the City of St. Helens. The City of St. Helens supplies water from a water treatment facility located in Columbia City and one ground well located near the Scappoose Bay Marina in St. Helens. The Scappoose Bay well only operates during very high usage days in the summer. There are two Ranney Collector Wells in Columbia City that supply water to the treatment plant. The collector wells are located in Columbia City at "K" and First Streets and "E" Street and The Strand. The water treatment facility is a membrane filtration plant that works by running water through a series of synthetic filters that capture sediment, germs and organisms. These filter systems are fully computer-controlled for automatic backwashing and cleaning. There are no chemical additions, except for standard chlorine disinfection and acidity controls.

WATER SERVICE INFORMATION

For information and/or participation in decisions about your drinking water, please contact Leahnette Rivers by calling City Hall, (503) 397-4010. We want our valued customers to be informed about their water utility. In case of emergencies, our Public Works personnel are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by calling (503) 397-1521. Our regularly scheduled City Council meetings are held on the first and third Thursdays of each month at 6:00 p.m.

Public Works personnel are certified by the Oregon State Health Department (OSHD) and are trained in all aspects of water distribution and cross-connection. They are required to complete continuing education classes in order to maintain their certification and to keep up-to-date on the latest information and technology in their field.

Inorganic Contaminants - Groundwater Well Source

Contaminant	Date Tested	Violation	Range Min.-Max.	Detected Level	Unit	MCL	MCLG	Major Sources
Sulfate	12/08/05	No	n/a	7.0	ppm	250.0	n/a	Naturally occurring
Nitrate	7/12/07	Non Report	n/a	1.9	ppm	10.0	n/a	Naturally occurring
TTHMs	Quarterly	No	0.0015-0.0077	0.00425 (avg.)	ppb	80.0	n/a	Disinfection byproduct
HAA5	Quarterly	No	ND-0.0013	0.00084 (avg.)	ppb	60.0	n/a	Disinfection byproduct

Inorganic Contaminants - City of St. Helens Source

Contaminant	Date Tested	Violation	Range Min.-Max.	Detected Level	Unit	MCL	MCLG	Major Sources
Sulfate	12/08/05	No	n/a	7.0	ppm	250.0	n/a	Naturally occurring
Nitrate	11/25/09	No	n/a	1.0	ppm	10.0	n/a	Naturally occurring
HAA5	Quarterly	No	ND-4.0	4.0	ppb	60.0	n/a	Disinfection byproduct
TTHMs	Quarterly	No	1.1-13.3	13.3	ppb	80.0	n/a	Disinfection byproduct
Turbidity	Daily	No	0.021-0.135	.135	NTU	TT=0.3	n/a	Soil runoff, sediment

Water Quality Table Footnotes

The Nitrate testing for Columbia City was out of compliance for non-reporting, but the sample has since been taken, returning us to compliance.

WATER CONSERVATION

Water conservation leads to lower utility bills for our customers. Columbia City offers free Water Conservation Kits and free access to a wide range of water conservation tips. For information about early leak detection and repair, indoor and outdoor water conservation tips, and how to obtain a free Water Conservation Kit, contact City Hall by calling (503) 397-4010.

MANDATORY TESTING

The contaminants we monitor are listed below. Only the ones listed in the previous table had detectable levels.

Microbiological Contaminants

Total Coliform Bacteria

Fecal Coliform

Turbidity

Radioactive Contaminants

Beta/photon emitters

Alpha emitters

Combined Radium

Inorganic Contaminants

Antimony

Arsenic

Barium

Beryllium

Cadmium

Chromium

Copper

Cyanide

Fluoride

Lead

Mercury (inorganic)

Nickel

Nitrate (as Nitrogen)

Nitrite (as Nitrogen)

Selenium

Sodium

Sulfate

Thallium

Uranium

Synthetic Organic Contaminants

2,4D

2,4,5-TP (Silvex)

Alachlor

Atrazine

Benzo(a)pyrene(PAH)

Carbofuran

Chlordane

Dalapon

Di(2-ethylhexl)adipate

Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthate

Dibromochloropropane

Dinoseb

Diquat

Endothall

Endrin

Ethylene dibromide

Glyphosate

Heptachlor

Heptachlor epoxide

Hexachlorobenzene Hexchlorocyclopentadiene

Lindane

Methoxychlor

Oxamyl (Vydate)

PCBs (Polychlorinated)

Pentachlorophenol

Picloram

Simazene

Toxaphene

Volatile Organic Contaminants

Benzene

Carbon Tetrachloride

Chlorobenzene

o-Dichlororbenzene

p-Dichlororbenzene

1,2-Dichloroethane

1,1-Dichloroethylene

cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene

trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Dichloromethane

1,2-Dichloropropane

Ethylbenzene

Stryrene

Tetrachloroethylene

1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene

1,1,1-Trichloroethane

1,1,2-Trichloroethane

Thrichloroethylene

THHMs

Toluene

Vinyl Chloride

Xylenes

Lead and Copper Testing

Substance

Units

Goal

Action Level (AL)

90^th Percentile

Homes Exceeding Action Level

Complies?

Source of Contaminate

Copper

ppm

1.3

0.27

Yes

Corrosion of household plumbing

Lead

ppm

0.015

0.003

Yes

Corrosion of household plumbing

The 90th percentile is the highest result found in 90% of the samples when they are listed in order from the lowest to the highest results. EPA requires testing for lead and copper at customers’ taps most likely to contain these substances based on when the house was built. The EPA determined that the sample results did not exceed the Action Level (AL). The above results are from lead and copper samples taken in 2008. Due to the very low levels detected no lead and copper sampling is required until 2011. As long as results remain low only ten samples will be required every three years.

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. The City of Columbia City 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 you tap water for 30 seconds to two 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 www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

ADDITIONAL HEALTH INFORMATION

To ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes limits on 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.

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 at (800) 426-4791.

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 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 storm 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, stormwater runoff and residential uses.

· Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organics, which are by-products 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.

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 guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline 1 (800) 426-4791.

THANK YOU! The City of Columbia City works around the clock to provide top quality water to every tap. Should you experience any problems with your water or, just want to ask a question, please contact us. 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.