Water Quality Report

CEDAR RIVER WATER AND SEWER DISTRICT

2002 WATER QUALITY REPORT

The staff at Cedar River Water & Sewer District (CRWSD) is pleased to provide its customers with the fifth annual Water Quality Report. This report is required as part of the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act and is for the calendar year 2002. Its purpose is to update our customers knowledge about the District’s water sources, water quality, and District programs and projects related to your drinking water. It is hoped this report will help you and your families make well-educated decisions about a very important subject – your drinking water. First and most important, we are happy to report that as a result of Cedar River’s and Seattle Public Utilities’ commitment to safe drinking water, no water quality violations occurred in our District last year.

ABOUT THE DISTRICT

The District purchases all of its water (except Webster Lake Estates) from Seattle Public Utilities (SPU). This water comes from the Cedar River Watershed (90,495 acres). It is considered a surface water source and is located in a remote, uninhabited area of the Cascade Mountains. It is made up of primarily melted snow pack. The water for Cedar River’s customers is drawn downstream from the Lake Young’s Reservoir.

In 2002 an inter-tie with Covington Water District (CWD) may have been used on an intermittent basis. Those customers who live or work near the Southeast area of the District may have received CWD and/or Tacoma water for short periods of time. Covington water is considered groundwater and Tacoma water is considered surface water. For those who may have visited or work at the VA Cemetery, water is provided from the Covington Water District, Tacoma and/or from the City of Auburn. Information on Covington, Tacoma and Auburn Water can be found in the chart on page 3.

The Webster Lake Estates water system is owned, managed, maintained and operated by Cedar River Water & Sewer District. The system consists of residential lots in two sub-divisions, Webster Lake Estates and The Ridge At Lake Webster. The Washington State Department of Health considers this system a ground water source.

WATER QUALITY

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) protects the quality of our drinking water by enforcing an aggressive watershed protection plan. Agricultural and industrial activities within the watershed are prohibited. Access to the watershed is restricted to authorized staff and scheduled educational programs conducted by SPU staff.

The Washington State Department of Health (WSDOH) is responsible for conducting source water assessments and rating all water supplies in the state by the year 2003. WSDOH has rated Seattle’s closed surface watershed as having “low vulnerability” to organic and inorganic contamination.

The excellent quality of our source water allows drinking water to be provided with very little additional treatment. Chlorine is added for disinfection at the Landsburg Diversion Dam and again just before entering the Districts system. Chlorinization destroys Giardia, bacteria, and viruses that may be present in the source water. The District also operates a Sodium Hypochlorite system at our Maplewood Estates booster pump station. This system supplements the chlorine residuals for disinfection in one area of the District furthest from the Lake Young’s reservoir. The District monitors chlorine residuals closely and if the residuals drop below acceptable levels District staff responds by flushing the affected area to re-establish proper chlorine levels. Our water is naturally soft, with a pH of 7.95-8.47; minerals (calcium oxide and sodium carbonate) are added to help inhibit corrosion in building plumbing systems. In accordance with a Seattle public vote held in November 1968, fluoride is added to the drinking water at appropriate levels to prevent tooth decay.

After the water enters the CRWSD system, great care is taken to ensure its excellent quality all the way to your meter. SPU and CRWSD staff monitors water quality in the source water, treatment processes, and distribution system 365 days a year. Testing is conducted at specific frequencies (continuously, daily, monthly, quarterly, or annually) and locations (prior to treatment, after treatment, and throughout the distribution system) in accordance with state and federal regulations.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

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 radioactive material, and it can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or human activity. 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). In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the Environmental Protection Agency prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. The Federal Food and Drug Administration has established limits for contaminants in bottled water and is responsible for providing public health protection in this area

CRYPTOSPORIDIUM

Cryptosporidium is a disease-causing organism commonly found in surface waters. Sources include deer, elk and voles in the watershed. Cryptosporidium was first recognized as a health threat in 1976. Source water monitoring conducted by Seattle during 2001 detected Cryptosporidium in seven of the twenty two samples collected. The maximum concentration of Cryptosporidium detected in the Cedar River watershed was 12 organisms per 100 liters. These results are relatively low compared with other surface water sources throughout the country. There have been no disease outbreaks associated with Seattle’s drinking water. An ozonation and ultraviolet light treatment plant at the Lake Young’s Reservoir, constructed and maintained by SPU, will be on line in 2004. Ozonation is very effective at destroying Cryptosporidium .

Even if small numbers of Cryptosporidium oocysts are ingested, flu-like symptoms (e.g. diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headache, nausea vomiting and low-grade fever) can occur. Not everyone who ingests the oocysts will become ill, however the immuno-compromised population, persons with HIV/AIDS, or cancer and organ transplant patients can be at great risk if they contract cryptosporidiosis.

.LEAD & COPPER MONITORING

The water delivered by CRWSD to your home does not contain lead or copper. However, lead and copper can leach into water from building plumbing systems. Structures plumbed with copper before the 1985 King County lead solder ban probably would have lead-based solder. The Environmental Protection Agency considers these residences as “high risk”. Brass fixtures also generally contain lead, which can leach into standing water with contact time greater than six hours.

SPU and CRWSD last did regional lead and copper sampling in 1997. The samples are drawn from the tap of “high risk” homes. Of all the homes tested by SPU (customers within the city of Seattle and all Purveyors that purchase water from SPU), only 53 of 390 exceeded the action level for lead, while none exceeded the action level for copper.

Lead and copper testing was conducted at the Webster Lake Estates water system in 2001. Samples were drawn within five residences in the development. None of the samples exceeded the action level for lead or copper.

ADDITIONAL IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT LEAD & COPPER

Infants and children who drink water containing lead in excess of the action level could experience delays in their physical or mental development. Children could show slight deficits in attention span and learning abilities. Adults who drink this water over many years could develop kidney problems or high blood pressure.

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 (1-800-426-4791).

WHAT’S NEW FOR 2003

OZONE TREATMENT FACILITY Construction of the ozone injection and ultraviolet (UV) light disinfection facility by Seattle Public Utilities has started with completion slated by the end of 2004. This facility will help remove the earthy taste of Lake Youngs water during summer months and improve water quality. Normal chlorinization procedures will continue as the water leaves the Lake Youngs Reservoir.

PUBLIC WORKS TRUST FUND WATERMAIN REPLACEMENT PROJECT

The District has completed construction on phase 1 & Phase 3 of this project. Phase 2 and 2A are scheduled for spring/summer 2003. These projects are located in the Shadow lake area and will replace the aging and undersized infrastructure improving water quality, fire flows and reliability .

District Web Site	www.crwsd.com
District e-mail	bquesnoy@crwsd.com
District phone	425-255-6370
District address	18300 SE Lake Youngs Road
	Renton, WA 98058
WDOH web site	www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/dw
EPA web site	www.epa.gov/safewater
EPA safe drinking water hotline	1-800-426-4791
EPA safe drinking water hotline e-mail	hotline-sdwa@epamail.epa.gov
S.P.U. water quality web site	www.ci.seattle.wa.us/util/services/waterquality

This material can be made available to accommodate people with disabilities and those who need language translation at 425-255-6370.

Please remember, your input and questions are always welcome. You may call the District Monday through Friday 7:00 – 5:30, or write to the Board of Commissioners here at the District office. Further questions regarding the water system operation should be directed to Kirk Hunkeler at 425-255-6370.

The District wishes to acknowledge the assistance of the staff at Seattle Public Utilities in the preparation of this fifth annual Water Quality Report

LEAD AND COPPER TESTING RESULTS

Parameter

and units

MCLG

Action

Level

Source

SPU

Water

CWD

Water

Auburn

Water

Tacoma Water

Webster

Lake

Copper

PPM

1.3

Corrosion of household plumbing

0.6 PPM

0 of 390 samples exceeded action level

2.9 PPM (12/92) - 41 of 61 samples exceeded AL

2.8 PPM (6/93) - 45 of 61 samples exceeded AL

1.5 PPM (3/93)

12 of 65 samples exceeded AL

Lead

PPB

Corrosion of household plumbing

19.3 PPB

53 of 390 samples exceeded AL

6 PPB (12/92)

5 PPB (6/93)

9.2 PPB (3/93)

* Covington and Auburn water exceeded the action level for copper. A Bilateral Compliance agreement exists with the State of Washington regarding this. Covington has implemented corrosion control raising the raw water PH from 6.4 to a finished water PH of 7.5 using sodium hydroxide.

WATER QUALITY MONITORING RESULTS

		Federal Standards	Water Supplied to CRWSD Customers								Typical Source
Detected Substance	Unit of Measure	Ideal Goal (MCLG)	Allowable Level (MCL)	SPU WATER		Webster Lake Well	Covington Water	Auburn Water -V.A. Cemetery only	Tacoma Water
				Average	Range				Average	Range
Measured Before Treatment
Turbidity	NTU	NA	TT	0.7	0.2-4.0	NA	NA	7		.08-3.88	Soil Runoff
Measured After Treatment
Fluoride	PPM	4	4	1.0	0.9-1.1	0.2 (01/00)	0.3 (09/99)	0.3		.81-1.17	Water additive
Nitrates	PPM	10	10	0.22	——	ND	NR	NR	NR	NR	Erosion from Natural Deposits
Measured in the Distribution System
TTHM	PPB	NA	80	25	13-41	NA	Ave-7.91 Range ND-27.10	Ave - 7.91 Range ND-27.10	2.08	ND-5.60	By-product of chlorinization
Chlorine	PPM	NA